A Democratic legislator from Minnesota apologized Tuesday for a tweet he sent that referred to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as “Uncle Thomas†following a major ruling on the nation’s voting rights law.
Thomas voted with the 5-4 majority making it tougher for federal officials to prevent states, primarily in the South, from adopting policies that add barriers to voting.
In response, state Rep. Ryan Winkler tweeted: “#SCOTUS VRA majority is four accomplices to race discrimination and one Uncle Thomas. Marriage decision may blur Court’s backsliding.â€
“Uncle Tom†is the term for an obsequious black person that originated from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s pre-Civil War novel about slavery, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.â€