{mosads}The lawmaker, Minnesota state Rep. Ryan Winkler, a member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor party, initially responded to the ruling calling the conservative court members behind the majority opinion “four accomplices to race discrimination and one Uncle Thomas,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Thomas joined Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito Jr. in the opinion penned by Chief Justice John Roberts overturning a decades-old policy intended to protect minority voters from discrimination.

Winkler then deleted the tweet and apologized.

I didn’t think it was offensive to suggest that Justice Thomas should be even more concerned about racial discrimination than colleagues.

— Ryan Winkler (@RepRyanWinkler) June 25, 2013

Deleted Tweet causing offense regarding Justice Thomas. I apologize for it, but believe VRA decision does abet racism.

— Ryan Winkler (@RepRyanWinkler) June 25, 2013

In his opinion, Roberts said the formula that determined whether state and local governments needed permission from the federal government to change voting rules or practices was outdated.

President Obama, though, said he was “deeply disappointed” in the ruling and called on lawmakers to restore the section of the Voting Rights Act struck down.