Chicago Mayor Defends Reparations Task Force Amid Criticism
On Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a post that strongly defended the city’s reparations task force, while also criticizing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
At a press conference, Johnson addressed a lawsuit from Judicial Watch against Chicago, which claims that the reparations initiative constitutes racial discrimination. A reporter questioned him: “When you state that it doesn’t solely benefit Black Americans, especially basic Black Americans, aren’t you straying from legal precedents established by Clarence Thomas that make this program susceptible regarding racial and socioeconomic classifications?”
Johnson’s response was pointed: “I can’t think of anything that Clarence Thomas has done for Black people.” When pressed by the reporter, who pointed out existing information, Johnson remarked, “Reading something doesn’t equate to evidence of actions benefiting marginalized communities.” He acknowledged that while the reporter mentioned Thomas’ concurrent opinion, the reality is quite different.
Continuing, Johnson emphasized that the aim of reparations is about addressing the damage done to Black individuals. “That’s fundamentally what it seeks to achieve,” he said. He also noted that the Justice Department, under Trump’s leadership, has been suing the city for its reparations efforts, stressing the importance of correcting historical injustices, particularly for descendants of enslaved people.
“It’s contradictory to claim that the city is only focusing on Black individuals while simultaneously suggesting we are doing the opposite,” he added.
Thomas, a Supreme Court justice since 1991 and the second Black individual to serve on the bench, upheld the majority decision earlier this year that ended affirmative action, stating that college admissions policies are essentially race-based and aim to engineer a certain racial mix.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog organization, previously filed a lawsuit regarding Johnson’s reparations efforts, citing issues with the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The organization has not responded to requests for comments from Fox News Digital regarding the lawsuit aimed at the Chicago reparations task force, nor has Johnson’s office addressed the specific allegations from the lawsuit. In 2024, Johnson established the Reparations Task Force to confront the historical harms experienced by Black residents and their ancestors in Chicago.
Last year, there was a notable legal challenge in Evanston, Illinois, accused of improper eligibility criteria for its reparations program, which provides $25,000 to Black individuals and their descendants who lived there between 1919 and 1969. This effort made Evanston the first U.S. city to implement a compensation plan, pledging $10 million over a decade for Black residents.
Meanwhile, the mayor of San Francisco has quietly approved a reparations fund that could potentially offer $5 million to each eligible individual.
The Supreme Court Press Office has not commented on Johnson’s remarks concerning Thomas.
