{"id":122483,"date":"2025-06-09T13:02:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T21:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/06\/09\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T13:02:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T21:02:45","slug":"pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/06\/09\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/","title":{"rendered":"Pete Hegseth Takes His Petty Bullshit To The Legacies Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg And Thurgood Marshall"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pete Hegseth is not particularly qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. The former cable TV host is best known for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/22\/nx-s1-5270033\/pete-hegseth-faces-new-allegations-of-alcohol-abuse-and-misconduct\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">domestic abuse allegations and alcohol use,<\/a> but he\u2019s loyal to MAGA and so, he got the nod to lead our nation\u2019s military. He\u2019s taken Donald Trump\u2019s war on DEI very seriously, in the process forcing out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/02\/28\/pete-hegseth-black-general-fired\/80855772007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">qualified military leaders<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/congresswoman-questions-hegseth-about-book-removals-at-naval-academy-other-military-libraries\/ar-AA1FehjO?apiversion=v2&amp;noservercache=1&amp;domshim=1&amp;renderwebcomponents=1&amp;wcseo=1&amp;batchservertelemetry=1&amp;noservertelemetry=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">damaging institutions. <\/a>In one particularly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/navy-new-name-usns-harvey-milk-ships-named-for-civil-rights-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> nasty and vindictive move<\/a>, Hegseth ordered the USNS Harvey Milk \u2014 named for the Navy vet and gay rights activist, renamed to aligned with the priority of  \u201creestablishing the warrior culture.\u201d\u00a0And of course, the move coincides with Pride Month, because the cruelty is absolutely the point.<\/p>\n<p>The renaming has been slammed by Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was \u201can utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history, and we\u2019re not going to allow it to happen.\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that Hegseth \u201cshould be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And Nancy Pelosi said, \u201cThe reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.\u201d That\u2019s right, because according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/navy-new-name-usns-harvey-milk-ships-named-for-civil-rights-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> reporting by CBS News<\/a>, Hegseth is also looking into undermining the legacy of other civil rights icons, stripping the names of naval ships including the late Supreme Court justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msc.usff.navy.mil\/Press-Room\/News-Stories\/Article\/3774384\/us-navy-accepts-delivery-of-usns-earl-warren-t-ao-207\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">slated to have have naval vessels<\/a> named after them. Other ships on the Navy\u2019s renaming \u201crecommended list\u201d are the USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez, and USNS Medgar Evers.<\/p>\n<p>The USNS Thurgood Marshall and the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg were scheduled to be the second and third John Lewis-class of underway replenishment oilers named after Supreme Court justices. Despite the big talk from Hegseth about renaming being linked to \u201cwarrior culture,\u201d the USNS Earl Warren is not currently being considered for renaming. I wonder what\u2019s different about Justice Warren that he gets to keep a ship named after him\u2026<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\">Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email <a href=\"mailto:kathryn@abovethelaw.com?subject=Your%20Column\" target='_blank\"' rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/06\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/%E2%80%9C\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1%22%E2%80%9D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/06\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1@mastodon.social.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/06\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pete Hegseth Takes His Petty Bullshit To The Legacies Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg And Thurgood Marshall<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-single__featured-image post-single__featured-image--medium alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2209595705-300x216.jpg?resize=300%2C216&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"post-single__featured-image-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto by Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pete Hegseth is not particularly qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. The former cable TV host is best known for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/22\/nx-s1-5270033\/pete-hegseth-faces-new-allegations-of-alcohol-abuse-and-misconduct\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">domestic abuse allegations and alcohol use,<\/a> but he\u2019s loyal to MAGA and so, he got the nod to lead our nation\u2019s military. He\u2019s taken Donald Trump\u2019s war on DEI very seriously, in the process forcing out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/02\/28\/pete-hegseth-black-general-fired\/80855772007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">qualified military leaders<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/congresswoman-questions-hegseth-about-book-removals-at-naval-academy-other-military-libraries\/ar-AA1FehjO?apiversion=v2&amp;noservercache=1&amp;domshim=1&amp;renderwebcomponents=1&amp;wcseo=1&amp;batchservertelemetry=1&amp;noservertelemetry=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">damaging institutions. <\/a>In one particularly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/navy-new-name-usns-harvey-milk-ships-named-for-civil-rights-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> nasty and vindictive move<\/a>, Hegseth ordered the USNS Harvey Milk \u2014 named for the Navy vet and gay rights activist, renamed to aligned with the priority of  \u201creestablishing the warrior culture.\u201d\u00a0And of course, the move coincides with Pride Month, because the cruelty is absolutely the point.<\/p>\n<p>The renaming has been slammed by Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was \u201can utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history, and we\u2019re not going to allow it to happen.\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that Hegseth \u201cshould be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And Nancy Pelosi said, \u201cThe reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.\u201d That\u2019s right, because according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/navy-new-name-usns-harvey-milk-ships-named-for-civil-rights-leaders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> reporting by CBS News<\/a>, Hegseth is also looking into undermining the legacy of other civil rights icons, stripping the names of naval ships including the late Supreme Court justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msc.usff.navy.mil\/Press-Room\/News-Stories\/Article\/3774384\/us-navy-accepts-delivery-of-usns-earl-warren-t-ao-207\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">slated to have have naval vessels<\/a> named after them. Other ships on the Navy\u2019s renaming \u201crecommended list\u201d are the USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez, and USNS Medgar Evers.<\/p>\n<p>The USNS Thurgood Marshall and the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg were scheduled to be the second and third John Lewis-class of underway replenishment oilers named after Supreme Court justices. Despite the big talk from Hegseth about renaming being linked to \u201cwarrior culture,\u201d the USNS Earl Warren is not currently being considered for renaming. I wonder what\u2019s different about Justice Warren that he gets to keep a ship named after him\u2026<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\">Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#a0cbc1d4c8d2d9cee0c1c2cfd6c5d4c8c5ccc1d78ec3cfcd9fd3d5c2cac5c3d49df9cfd5d2859290e3cfccd5cdce\" target=\"_blank&quot;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/06\/pete-hegseth-takes-his-petty-bullshit-to-the-legacies-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-thurgood-marshall\/%E2%80%9C\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1%22%E2%80%9D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon <a href=\"https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@Kathryn1%22%22\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@[email\u00a0protected].<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pete Hegseth is not particularly qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. The former cable TV host is best known for domestic abuse allegations and alcohol use, but he\u2019s loyal to MAGA and so, he got the nod to lead our nation\u2019s military. He\u2019s taken Donald Trump\u2019s war on DEI very seriously, in the process [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":122484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-S7S3Cp.jpeg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}