Marsha Blackburn slammed for saying Andre Mathis had a “rap sheet”

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Senator Marsha Blackburn drew fierce criticism after she said presidential candidate Andre Mathis had “a rap sheet with a laundry list of quotes” during a hearing on Wednesday.

Blackburn, R-Tennessee, cited problems resulting from court failures over a series of traffic citations – all dating from a decade or more ago. Mathis said he either resolved or does not recall the incidents in question, which range from 2008 to 2011.

Mathis is one of the judicial candidates for President Joe Biden, a candidate for a seat on the 6th United States Court of Appeals, which includes Tennessee. If confirmed, he would become the first black and second black to sit on the 6th Tennessee Circuit, according to a White House press release announcing Mathis’ appointment in November.

Mathis is a partner at the Memphis Butler Snow law firm. He is known for his volunteer work with the Tennessee Innocence Project and for representing indigent defendants.

Andre Mathis addresses speeding tickets at hearing

Blackburn questioned Mathis during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. She was also concerned that the Biden administration had not sought the advice of the two U.S. senators from Tennessee before appointing the lawyer to the post. Historically, presidents have sought advice from home state senators on judicial appointments.

But she also raised the issue of court appearances.

“It was made public that he has a rap sheet with a long list of quotes, including multiple failures to appear in a Tennessee court,” Blackburn said at the hearing. “We expect our judges to respect the law, not to despise it. If Mr. Mathis thought he was above the law before, imagine how he will behave if confirmed.”

Mathis expressed regret for his actions and said he felt he had embarrassed his family during the hearing. His wife, two children and his father were present at the hearing.

“Although I deserve it, they don’t deserve it,” Mathis said. “I can assure the committee that I am a law-abiding citizen. I have never been arrested. I have never been charged with a crime.”

Mathis said at the hearing that he does not remember the first ticket or license suspension in 2008, and said he would not have driven if his license had been suspended. He also sent a subsequent ticket that he “just forgot” and resolved later.

Mathis said his license was suspended in 2011 because of a ticket he put in his glove compartment and forgot to pay. He said this likely led to his failure to appear in court and as soon as he learned of his license suspension he quickly rectified the situation.

“Outrageous and offensive”: NAACP leaders defend Andre Mathis

NAACP Chairman Derrick Johnson intervened after Wednesday’s hearing, calling Blackburn’s comments “outrageous and offensive” in a tweet.

“He got 3 speeding tickets ten years ago,” Johnson said.

Scandalous & offensive. TN Senator Marsha Blackburn said this about Andre Mathis, a black judicial candidate from his home state: “He’s got a rap sheet with a laundry list of quotes.” He received 3 speeding tickets ten years ago. https://t.co/8D5vlbVBHy

– Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) January 13, 2022

Former NAACP chairman Cornell William Brooks also defended Mathis in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. Brooks called the hearing “incredible” and “extraordinarily painful to watch”.

“Here we have the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the state of Tennessee humiliating, denigrating and demeaning a black man,” Brooks said. “She calls less than a handful of speeding tickets a ‘road map’.”

Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said during the hearing that one of the tickets Mathis received was for driving 5 mph over the speed limit.

Brooks also compared Blackburn’s comments on Mathis with his recent comments on US Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh was involved in sexual assault allegations as a teenager during his confirmation process in 2018. CNN aired an excerpt from an August interview with Blackburn on Fox News.

“We spent enough time and money trashing a good man and his name,” Blackburn said in the clip. “Justice Kavanaugh is an honorable man. He does an honorable job on the Supreme Court.”

Brooks said Blackburn’s comments showed “absolute hypocrisy.”

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at [email protected] or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

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