Red State AGs Hit Back at Dems' Attempt to Pack Supreme Court
Republican attorneys general across the country are pushing back against an effort by Democrats to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices.
Interviews conducted by Breitbart News determined the idea is widely unpopular among the conservative officials.
“This is an effort for the Democrats to try to add numbers to the Court to be able to validate the most liberal agenda that we’ve seen out of Congress in clearly my lifetime,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told the outlet.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt warned expanding the court is a slippery slope, as there is no constitutional amendment clarifying how many justices should serve on the court.
“There’s no limiting principle,” he said. “If they want 13, what’s to prevent it from being 20? Or 75? This has harmful effects for the long-term for our country.”
Attorneys General Dave Yost of Ohio and Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas agreed.
“We go from nine to 13,” Yost said. “What do we do when the Republicans get it? We’ll go to 17? And we just keep going back and forth until the Supreme Court’s bigger than Congress? It’s an insane battle to start.”
“When does it stop?” Rutledge added.
Lead by Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, the Judiciary Act of 2021 was introduced to fundamentally change the highest court in the United States.
The number of justices on the court has not been changed since 1869, and this push in particular is viewed as a political power grab to override the current conservative majority.
While introducing the legislation, Markey referred to former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointments as “illegitimate” and claimed the justices’ decisions will have damning consequences for the United States.
“This court is a 6-3 court because of illegitimate actions taken by a Republican United States Senate and a Republican President,” Markey said.
“The harm that that court is going to be able to do across a whole range of issues — voting rights, a woman’s right to chose, environmental issues, issue after issue, are now in jeopardy.”
NEW: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) says Democrats need to pack the court to offset former Pres. Trump’s “illegitimate” SCOTUS appointments pic.twitter.com/mAVJD3BO8V
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2021
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is often vocal when it comes to national politics, tweeted his disagreement with the proposal.
“Today, Dems intro’d the Judiciary Act of 2021, which would expand the size of the SCOTUS,” Paxton said. “This will sail through the House & head the Senate where Dems will try to break the filibuster & pack the court. This is a naked left-wing power-grab of our country.”
Today, Dems intro’d the Judiciary Act of 2021, which would expand the size of the SCOTUS.
This will sail through the House & head the Senate where Dems will try to break the filibuster & pack the court.
This is a naked left-wing power-grab of our country https://t.co/N4ZFjLSOGS
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 15, 2021
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will not put the controversial legislation up for a vote in the House.
Pelosi is aware her party is expected to lose the House in 2022, and ramming controversial legislation like this through Congress would be a surefire way to solidify that possibility.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
