(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Several Democratic lawmakers have called for packing the Supreme Court in response to recent conservative victories achieved by the Court, which currently has a conservative majority.
The calls are a direct response to what Democrats claim to be obstacles to progressive policies that they have failed to implement through legislation.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., voiced her support for court-packing, claiming, “People don’t have to live under constant fear of the Supreme Court. We can’t sit on our hands while these justices carry out the bidding of right wing organizations. Expand the Court.”
People don’t have to live under constant fear of the Supreme Court.
We can’t sit on our hands while these justices carry out the bidding of right wing organizations.
Expand the Court.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) June 30, 2023
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., echoed Smith’s demands and referred to the Court as “illegitimate.” He specifically said, “State-sanctioned homophobia or discrimination of any kind is yet another terrible step towards the fascist and autocratic trampling of the rights of all communities. This Supreme Court is illegitimate. Expand the Court.”
State-sanctioned homophobia or discrimination of any kind is yet another terrible step towards the fascist and autocratic trampling of the rights of all communities. This Supreme Court is illegitimate.
Expand the Court.
— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) June 30, 2023
On the House side, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., a vocal member of the progressive squad, added her voice to the chorus. She claimed, “The Supreme Court is corrupt and continues to fail the people of this country. Expand the court.”
The Supreme Court just set another dangerous precedent and opened the door to more discrimination.
LGBTQ Americans deserve to be who they are and love who they love free from bigotry. This decision is a blow to LGBTQ rights.
We must expand and unstack this partisan Court.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 30, 2023
Rep. Adam Schiff, who is facing controversies, also called for Court-packing, falsely accusing the justices of setting “another dangerous precedent” against LGBTQ members.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., falsely claimed that the Court is “[u]pholding white supremacy” and “[b]locking life-changing debt relief,” and also called for packing the Court.
Extremists in the highest court in the land are:
⚠️Decimating abortion rights
⚠️Upholding white supremacy
⚠️Blocking life-changing debt reliefEnough. It’s time to expand SCOTUS.
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) June 30, 2023
Republican leaders criticized the left’s willingness to undermine the Court’s independence. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said, “More and more Democrats are calling to pack the Supreme Court. The Left will do anything in their pursuit of power.”
In light of today’s SCOTUS ruling, we’re already hearing calls from Democrats to pack the Court.
When the Left doesn’t get their way, they want to bend the rules to advance their radical agenda.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 29, 2023
Other lawmakers calling for packing the Supreme Court include Reps. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
In an interview with NBC News, President Joe Biden partially pushed back against court packing, calling it a “mistake.” In April 2021, however, Biden signed an executive order to create a “Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States,” which analyzed the consequences of packing the court.
