Katie Couric Breaks Down The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Controversy

Late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg came under intense fire in 2016 after she criticized former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and other athletes for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police violence against Black people. In an interview with Katie Couric, Ginsburg slammed the protest, emphasizing that while Kaepernick's actions were legal and didn't merit persecution, she thought they were "terrible." "Would I arrest them for doing it? No. I think it's dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it's a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act," Ginsburg told Couric.

Known for her progressive views that made her popular among liberal circles, as The Washington Post noted, Ginsburg's comments about the Black athletes drew strong criticism from her many of own supporters. In response, Ginsburg later apologized to Kaepernick. "Barely aware of the incident or its purpose, my comments were inappropriately dismissive and harsh. I should have declined to respond," Ginsburg said then, CNN reported. 

But Ginsburg, in fact, had initially gone further than that with her comments. Only, Couric decided to omit parts of Ginsburg's remarks that were even more critical of the movement, the journalist wrote in her book, "Going There." Now, she is sharing why. 

According to The Washington Post, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dug in deep with her additional remarks, which were omitted from the Katie Couric interview. The outlet reports that she said kneeling during the national anthem showed "contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life ... which they probably could not have lived in the places they came from ... as they became older they realize that this was youthful folly. And that's why education is important." 

Speaking on "The View" on October 25, Couric said that after her interview with Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice's office called her and said that Ginsburg "misunderstood" the question because she hadn't been following the controversy — which is what made Couric soften her stance. Recalling the incident, the veteran journalist acknowledged that, in hindsight, she should have included Ginsburg's full quote. While she admitted she wanted to "protect" Ginsburg by leaving out parts of her response, Couric believes she made the wrong choice. "I wanted to represent her views ... then when there was that extra, I thought, 'Is she confused about this?' And I bring that up because I should have left that to the audience to make that decision," she said, noting that she included the story in her book because "it's important as journalists that we be transparent and say, 'That was probably not a good decision.'"