During the oral arguments of the latest Supreme Court Case – United States v. Skrmetti – Justice Sonia Sotomayor, considered a liberal judge, compared the inherent risks of taking over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, to undergoing a sex change operation. Two Republican congressmen, Representatives Brian Mast (R-FL) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX), responded to Texas Politics regarding Justice Sotomayor’s comments.
In this case, President Joe Biden’s (D) Department of Justice (DOJ) is in opposition to the State of Tennessee’s (in this case, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti) bill that bans sex surgeries for minors.
"Every medical treatment has a risk, even taking aspirin," Sotomayor said. "There's always going to be a percentage of the population under any medical treatment that's going to suffer a harm. So, the question in my mind is not, 'do policymakers decide whether one person's life is more valuable than the millions of others who get relief from this treatment?'"
Rep. Jackson called Sotomayor’s comments “ridiculous” and said she is “clueless” on the issue.
“She’s clueless. She should keep her mouth shut when she doesn’t have any idea what she’s talking about. That’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Rep. Jackson.
Moreover, Rep. Mast kept it brief but included a jab at Justice Sotomayor.
He told Texas Politics, “Painkillers do not castrate your reproductive parts, moron.”
Last month, Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a resolution to bar transgender people at the Capitol from using single-sex facilities opposite of their assigned gender at birth. This bill was produced in response to the election of the first transgender member of Congress earlier in November – Representative-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE).
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that he supports protecting “women’s only spaces," releasing a statement to the media during that week’s legislative session.
NEWS: Speaker Johnson officially says transgender women will not be allowed to use the women’s restrooms & locker facilities in Capitol complex.
He told GOP members yesterday during a closed-door meeting that he wouldn’t allow that, as we reported.
Unclear how he’ll enforce it. pic.twitter.com/lrXfDV52XC
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) November 20, 2024
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings – such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms – are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” said Speaker Johnson. “It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
Rep. Mast told Texas Politics in a statement that it was “common sense” that people should use facilities for their assigned gender at birth.
“No matter the masquerade, men are men and women are women. And it should just be common sense that we all use the correct restroom,” stated Rep. Mast.
The Supreme Court normally releases its decisions in late June or early July. The Court has an ideological balance of 6-3 in favor of conservative justices.
