A comment made by President Barack Obama at the University of Chicago Law School regarding his nomination for the Supreme Court sent the northern suburb of Skokie trending on Twitter Thursday.
“But at no point did I say: ‘Oh, you know what? I need a black lesbian from Skokie in that slot. Can you find me one?’ ” the president said. “I mean, that’s just not how I’ve approached it.”
The comment was in response to a question from an audience member that was critical of his nominating Merrick Garland, an appeals court judge from Lincolnwood, citing a lack of racial and LGBT diversity in the country’s courts.
Twitter users responded to the comment with an array of tweets ranging from the comedic to the incredulous.
Obama was at University of Chicago to promote Garland, who attended high school in Skokie and was born in Chicago, as his Supreme Court nominee, calling him “as good of a judge as we have in this country right now.”
In response to questions Thursday about diversity in the federal courts, Obama defended both his record and his nomination of Garland, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“Not to brag, but I have transformed the federal courts, from a diversity standpoint, with a record that’s been unmatched,” Obama said.
“Yeah, he’s a white guy, but he’s a really outstanding jurist, sorry,” Obama said of Garland.
Twitter @iamrichardray
