‘Gag Me With A Spoon’: John Kennedy Takes Law Professor To Task For Calling Conservative Supreme Court Justices ‘Evil’

Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy criticized law professor Kate Shaw at a Senate hearing Tuesday after she was caught on tape calling some members of the U.S. Supreme Court “evil.”

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Kennedy pressed Shaw on her remarks and challenged her to clarify her stance on the nation’s highest court. The confrontation centered around Shaw’s comments on her April 22, 2024 podcast, where she described certain justices as “evil.”

When Kennedy asked her which justices she was referring to, Shaw claimed she did not recall using the word “evil” and suggested it was a possible transcription error.

“I’ll take it your word, Senator. I don’t recall using that word,” Shaw told Kennedy.

However, Kennedy, referencing Shaw’s own words, refused to let her off the hook and quoted her podcast.

WATCH: 

“All right, here’s what you said. You were talking about the majority opinion in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis. You said, quote, Justice Kagan, I mean, will she be able to control the opinion’s future distortion by her evil colleagues? Probably not, end quote. Who were you talking about?” Kennedy asked. (RELATED: ‘Let Me Finish!’: Cory Booker Blows His Lid During Fiery Exchange With Ted Cruz)

“You call some of the members of the Supreme Court evil. Which ones do you think are evil?” Kennedy asked.

“Sir, I’m very skeptical. If it was a transcription, it was probably a transcription error. I do not think I said that,” Shaw said.

As the exchange grew more intense, Shaw said she had been critical of the court but never referred to justices in such a derogatory manner in her classroom.

“I would have to refresh my recollection. I’ve been very critical of the members of the Supreme Court,” Shaw said.

Kennedy was not convinced and provided Shaw’s exact words from the podcast.

“You did, right here, on your podcast, on April 22, 2024, big as Dallas. And you’re an officer of the court, and you’re here advising us to be respectful of federal judges. And you say they’re evil members of the United States Supreme Court. Gag me with a spoon. You’re part of what’s the problem in all of this,” Kennedy said.

Despite Shaw’s attempt to deny the comments, Kennedy’s reference to her podcast was accurate, as she indeed referred to certain Supreme Court justices as “evil” in the April 22, 2024, episode titled “Will SCOTUS Let January 6 Defendants Off the Hook?” Her attempt to attribute the statement to a transcription error was misleading, as the words were clearly spoken in the podcast itself.

“So good result, definitely constructed opinion by Justice Kagan. I mean will she be able to control its potential future distortion by her evil colleagues? Probably not,” Shaw said.

Shaw is a professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, specializing in constitutional law, administrative law, and civil rights. She previously served as a professor and co-director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Shaw’s academic work has been published in leading law reviews, including the Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and Georgetown Law Journal.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.