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Reform Commission says expanding Supreme Court could lead to issues

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President Biden’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States is out with a draft of its findings on reforming the Supreme Court. The commission looked at several issues, including the shadow docket, term limits, and changing the number of justices. 

“Court expansion is likely to undermine, rather than enhance, the Supreme Court’s legitimacy and its role in the constitutional system, and there are significant reasons to be skeptical that expansion would serve democratic values”, the report said.

It also says the commission members were divided about this, appearing more positive about the benefits of imposing term limits and staggering appointments out over time. But they noted it might not be possible to make such a change without amending the U.S. Constitution.

The documents are to be used as a source of debate by members of the commission who are holding a meeting on Friday and will prepare a report for Biden and turn it over to him by mid-November.

Biden signed an executive order in April creating the 36-member bipartisan commission in response to calls from the left for seats to be added in order to counteract the 6-3 conservative majority on the nation’s highest court.

For more on the Supreme Court and the history of its politics, check out ‘Supreme Court Justices as umpires? History says otherwise.’

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SHOULD THE SUPREME COURT HAVE MORE JUSTICES? SHOULD THERE BE TERM LIMITS? A SHADOW DOCKET? 

THESE ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES THE PRESIDENT ASKED A COMMISION TO STUDY. 

AND NOW THAT THE RESULTS ARE OUT…

HE MAY NOT LIKE THE ANSWERS. 

THE COMMISSION’S FINDINGS INCLUDE:

JUSTICES SHOULD HAVE TERM LIMITS, INSTEAD OF LIFETIME APPOINTMENTS.

AND THE BIGGER ISSUE – THE SIZE OF THE COURT SHOULD STAY THE SAME, 

IT’S SOMETHING I MENTIONED IN MY STORY ON HOW THE SUPREME COURT BECAME SO POLITICAL.

“<<THATS WHERE THE SUPREME COURT COMES IN. “Judges are like umpires. They don’t make the rules, they apply them”>>

THE REPORT ALSO SAYS COMMISSION MEMBERS WERE DIVIDED ABOUT PACKING THE COURT- I BET I CAN GUESS WHERE THOSE LINES FELL…

THEY ALSO ARE A FAN OF CREATING A CODE OF ETHICS, EVEN IF IT IS SOMETHING THE JUSTICES WRITE THEMSELVES. 

BIDEN’S TEAM HAS SAID HE WON’T COMMENT ON THE FINDINGS UNTIL HE GETS THE FINAL VERSION- WHICH SHOULD BE NOVEMBER 14.

YOU CAN WATCH MY FULL REPORT ON THE SUPREME COURT BY SEARCHING SUPREME COURT AS UMPIRES ON OUR WEBSITE, STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.