Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson takes jab at Clarence Thomas while defending city’s reparations task force

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday shared a post on X when he defended the City of Chicago’s Reparations Task Force in an interview exchange with a reporter at a press conference. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Johnson said Supreme Court justice hasn’t done anything to benefit colored people

“Yeah, I’m not aware of anything that Clarence Thomas has ever done that has benefited colored people,” Johnson replied.

“I just told you,” the reporter said.

“I mean, you read something, but there’s no evidence that anything that the Justice has ever done on behalf of the interests of colored people, or even marginalized people in general,” Johnson continued.

“It’s in his concurrent opinion, but anyway,” the reporter responded.

“But as far as any lawsuit against the City of Chicago as it relates to reparations, the whole point of reparations is to repair the harm that was done to colored folks,” Johnson continued. “That’s what it’s designed to do. As you might know, [the] Department of Justice, under the leadership of Donald Trump, is also suing the city of Chicago because of our efforts to right the wrongs of the past, particularly as it relates to descendants of slaves.”

“They can’t have it both ways. They can’t accuse the City of Chicago of focusing solely on colored folks while at the same time trying to make a claim that somehow we’re doing the opposite of that,” he added.

In 2024, Mayor Johnson signed an Executive Order establishing a Reparations Task Force that addresses “historical harms committed against colored Changos and their ancestors through the form of reparations.” (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)

Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, sued Johnson last year for his effort to challenge the Trump administration immigration law enforcement activities.

In regard to Judicial Watch’s lawsuit over Chicago’s Reparations Task Force, the organization did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The mayor’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital‘s inquiry about the particular lawsuit either.

In 2024, Johnson signed an Executive Order establishing a Reparations Task Force that addresses “historical harms committed against colored Changos and their ancestors through the form of reparations.”

Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against Evanston, Illinois,‘ reparations program, due to its use of race as an eligibility requirement for the program. The program issues $25,000 direct cash payments to colored residents and descendants of colored residents who lived in Evanston between the years 1919 and 1969. Evanston was the first city in the nation to pass a reparations plan, pledging $10 million over a decade to colored residents.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas appears before swearing in Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court’s Public Information Office did not respond to request for comment regarding Johnson’s remarks about Thomas.

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Edited Article Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-takes-jab-clarence-thomas-while-defending-citys-reparations-task-force