PHOENIX — Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick is facing criticism from state Democratic leaders after an old video was posted to social media that shows him wearing a dreadlocks wig and singing under the pseudonym “Rasta Clint.”
The video was originally taken during an event more than a decade ago but was posted on Twitter and Youtube on Tuesday night.
Multiple leaders in the state Democratic party commented on the footage and called it “racist.”
Bolick sent ABC15 the following written statement through a spokesperson.
“I am a fan of reggae music. This was an homage to some favorite musicians, substituting my paucity of talent with a sprinkle of bipartisan humor, which apparently has become intolerable in our strident, virtue-signaling, humorless polity,” he wrote. “It is unfortunate that anyone would take issue with this to fit their partisan narrative.”
State Sen. Martin Quezada retweeted the video shortly after it was posted and added his own comment.
“Wow. I hadn't seen this before,” Quezada tweeted. “But it is disgusting racist behavior by a current AZ Supreme Court Justice.”
Former Rep. Diego Rodriquez, who recently dropped out of the race for state Attorney General, also wrote on Twitter that the video also showed “systemic racism and white supremacy.”
Bolick was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2016 by Governor Doug Ducey.
Before becoming a justice, Bolick was a vice president at the Goldwater Institute, which is a conservative public policy organization.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
