--- title: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Colin Kaepernick: Protest Is 'Dumb' description: “Would I arrest them for doing it? No," Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. canonical: https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-10T17:29:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:06:32.576Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is 'Dumb' og:description: “Would I arrest them for doing it? No," Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. og:url: https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2025d2b6bb644e7/6988a968f887dc980be97be2/gettyimages-609631286.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2234 og:image:height: 1257 og:image:alt: An Historic Evening with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is 'Dumb' twitter:description: “Would I arrest them for doing it? No," Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2025d2b6bb644e7/6988a968f887dc980be97be2/gettyimages-609631286.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is 'Dumb' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 10, 2016 5:29 PM UTC  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presents onstage at An Historic Evening with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center on September 21, 2016 in New York City. Michael Kovac—Getty Images Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presents onstage at An Historic Evening with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center on September 21, 2016 in New York City. Michael Kovac—Getty Images Michael Kovac—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 10, 2016 5:29 PM UTC Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg thinks it is “[dumb](https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/ruth-bader-ginsburg-on-trump-kaepernick-and-her-lifelong-love-of-the-law-132236633.html)” of Colin Kaepernick and other professional football players to protest the national anthem, though she says they have the right to do so. In an interview with Katie Couric, Ginsburg [blasted the players’ protest](https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/ruth-bader-ginsburg-on-trump-kaepernick-and-her-lifelong-love-of-the-law-132236633.html), which aims to call attention to the mistreatment of African Americans by police. Ginsburg did not address the players’ intentions, but she wrote off the protest itself as a foolish act. “Would I arrest them for doing it? No,” she said. “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.” Ginsburg said there is no law that keeps a citizen from doing something “stupid” or “arrogant,” but noted that she takes issue with the “point of view that they are expressing” when they take a knee. Ginsburg is not the first high-profile voice to weigh in on the subject. During a town hall with military service members in September, President Obama said he respected the players’ decision, but urged them to consider the “[pain](http://time.com/4512595/president-obama-colin-kaepernick-town-hall/)” their actions may cause. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/"},"headline":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is 'Dumb'","datePublished":"2016-10-10T17:29:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:06:32.576Z","description":"“I think it’s dumb and disrespectful\"","url":"https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/","keywords":["Supreme Court","protest","Ruth Bader Ginsburg","justice","Colin Kaepernick","black lives matter"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2025d2b6bb644e7/6988a968f887dc980be97be2/gettyimages-609631286.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2025d2b6bb644e7/6988a968f887dc980be97be2/gettyimages-609631286.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"An Historic Evening with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg","caption":"An Historic Evening with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg","creditText":"Michael Kovac—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/supreme-court/","name":"Supreme Court"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4525224/ruth-bader-ginsburg-colin-kaepernick-protest-dumb/","name":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is 'Dumb'"}}]}] ```