SCOTUS does not need reform or expansion

Oct 04, 2024

Star Parker Founder & President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education

By Straight Arrow News

Democratic demands to reform the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) have grown louder in recent years but reached a crescendo after the court’s July 1, 2024 ruling in Trump v. United States. Later that month, President Biden officially announced his support for SCOTUS reforms, including a binding code of ethics, 18-year term limits for justices, and a constitutional amendment to overturn the court’s ruling on presidential criminal immunity.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has also introduced a bill to expand the number of Justices on the court from nine to 15, though President Biden has so far opposed that effort.

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker objects to these proposed Democratic reforms, warning that their passage could threaten American religious freedoms and First Amendment rights.

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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

Well, in July 2024, President Biden and Vice President Harris proposed term limits for the Supreme Court that would remove three justices of the court that were nominated by Republican presidents first, and potentially to replace them by, of course, liberal judges, like the one that Biden nominated and a Democrat Senate confirmed in 2022.

Whether by court-packing or court-purging, these Democrat proposals threatened to undermine the independence of the courts and to put fundamental rights like free speech and religious liberty at risk.

In 2017, Sen. Kamala Harris signed a bipartisan letter to preserve the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for enacting non-budgetary legislation, but she now proposes to abandon that standard for an abortion-on-demand bill that will override all conscious rights and religious beliefs of doctors and nurses. Harris also wants to rein in speech, in her words, that she deems misinformation.

If Kamala Harris and the Democrats in Congress succeed in packing and purging the Supreme Court, our First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty, as well as a lot of other rights, will be subject to the whims of ideological politicians. This should not happen.

The US Supreme Court has been composed of nine justices since 1869

but the chairman of a powerful Senate committee, Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, has just introduced legislation just now to expand that number to 15 justices as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in 2021 New York Democrat Jerry Nadler also introduced legislation to expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Senator Wyden claims that his legislation will, end, quote, restore balance among the three branches of government. End Quote, but his court packing proposal will actually undermine the independence of the Supreme Court and give Congress the ability to pass unconstitutional legislation that will require a super majority of the circuit courts or the Supreme Court in order to block it. President Franklin Roosevelt sought to peck the court back in 1937

to unilaterally impose his new deal agenda, but his proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the Senate, and in 1983 Senator Joe Biden called Roosevelt’s proposal a bonehead idea. It was a horrific, horrific mistake to make, is what Biden said then, and it put in question the independence of the most significant body in the country, the Supreme Court of the United States of America. That’s from Biden Well, in 2019

the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in quotes, nine seems to be a good number. It’s been that way for a long time. I think it was a bad idea when President Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the Court in. Quote, well, in july 2024

President Biden and vice president Harris proposed term limits for the Supreme Court that would remove three justices of the court that were nominated by Republican presidents first and potentially to replace them by, of course, liberal judges like the one that Biden nominated and a Democrat Senate confirmed in 2022

whether by court packing or court purging, these Democrat proposals threatened to undermine The independence of the courts and to put fundamental rights like free speech and religious liberty at risk in 2017

Senator Kamala Harris signed a bipartisan letter to preserve the Senate’s 60 vote threshold for enacting non budgetary legislation, But she now proposes to abandon that standard for an abortion on demand bill that will override all conscious rights and religious beliefs of doctors and nurses. HARRIS also wants to rein in speech in her words that she deems misinformation, if Kamala Harris and the Democrats in Congress succeed in packing and purging the Supreme Court, our First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty, as well as a lot of other rights will be subject to the whims of ideological politicians. This should not happen the.