NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — The Girl Scouts are drawing criticism and support from across the political spectrum after a social media post congratulating new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was posted, then deleted on the organization’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.
The original tweet (also posted on Facebook), shared on Wednesday evening, said, “Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789.”
The post featured an image of Barrett, who was confirmed Monday and sworn in at the court on Tuesday; along with currently serving justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor; former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; and Barrett’s predecessor, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The congratulatory post became viral, sparking social media responses and discussions from Barrett supporters and detractors.
“What kind of patch does one earn for uplifting a woman who is the antithesis of justice?” tweeted U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
“This is pathetic,” TV personality Megyn Kelly tweeted. “It’s not ‘partisan’ to generically congratulate the 5th woman ever to join the High Court. It’s patriotic. Taking your tweet down (asterisk)is(asterisk) partisan, however, and a real disappointment.”
As the online criticism mounted, the Girl Scouts deleted their original tweet and posted a new statement:
“Earlier today, we shared a post highlighting the five women who have been appointed to the Supreme Court. It was quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement which was not our intent and we have removed the post…. Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization. We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”
The organization according to their website is “2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000” with an empowerment mission for girls around the globe. Its mission statement is to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”
The decision by the Girl Scouts to delete the post was quickly assailed by many of Barrett’s supporters as political, with many users retweeting the official site’s condolences when Ginsburg succumbed to cancer.
“Of course the @girlscouts caved to the mob and deleted this tweet congratulating Amy Coney Barrett. SAD,” tweeted the Independent Women’s Forum.
Many supporters and detractors of the post both declared, for different reasons, they wouldn’t be purchasing Girl Scout cookies, highlighting the difficult position the Girl Scouts would have to navigate in the future.
Actor Zach Braff tweeted: “(asterisk)Googles ‘How do you make your own thin mints.”
There was no immediate reply from the Girl Scouts’ media spokeswoman to an Associated Press request for additional comment and for any details on whether Barrett had been in the Girl Scouts.
