Bill proposed by Democrats aims to reduce conservative influence by increasing the number of Supreme Court justices.

Senate Democrats Unveil Bill to Pack Supreme Court

Adding Four New Seats Could Shift Conservative Majority

Senate Democrats have proposed a new bill that would add four new seats to the Supreme Court, potentially shifting the current conservative majority. The proposed Judiciary Act of 2023 was unveiled by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) at a press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court on May 16.

Markey justified the court-packing proposal by claiming that Senate Republicans repeatedly “broke the rules” about the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees in recent years. He cited the refusal to allow a vote on then-President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, and the subsequent appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch by then-President Donald Trump.

Markey also accused Justice Clarence Thomas of improprieties and called for his resignation. Legal experts say Thomas did not have to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 presidential election merely because his wife is a conservative activist and Trump supporter.

Public Approval of Supreme Court Has Fallen

The proposed bill comes after President Joe Biden’s commission on Supreme Court reform failed to recommend expanding the size of the nation’s highest court. Public approval of the court has fallen in recent years, according to polls.

The late Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the court in the 1930s after it kept striking down his New Deal policies, but the plan ultimately went nowhere after the public and lawmakers from his own party turned against it.

Fixing a Broken and Illegitimate Court

Markey said the proposed court-packing is necessary to fix a “broken and illegitimate court” that has been hijacked by “partisan justices eager to toss aside decades of precedent to satisfy their deep-pocketed right-wing special interest benefactors.” He fears that decisions last year reversing Roe v. Wade, recognizing a constitutional right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, and curbing the government’s environmental regulatory powers “are just a preview of coming atrocities.”

Why Democrats Need to Pack the Court

Democrats need to pack the court because of the actions of Senate Republicans and the appointment of “two justices on the bench who frankly have no right to be there,” Markey said. He also claimed that Justice Thomas had made “a mockery of the public trust” by refusing “to recuse himself on cases about efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in spite of the fact that his wife was implicated in them.”

Conclusion

The proposed bill to pack the Supreme Court is a controversial move that could have far-reaching consequences. Democrats argue that it is necessary to fix a broken and illegitimate court, while Republicans and others warn that it could undermine the independence and integrity of the judiciary.

• Senate Democrats have proposed a new bill that would add four new seats to the Supreme Court, potentially shifting the current conservative majority.
• Markey justified the court-packing proposal by claiming that Senate Republicans repeatedly “broke the rules” about the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees in recent years.
• The proposed bill comes after President Joe Biden’s commission on Supreme Court reform failed to recommend expanding the size of the nation’s highest court.
• Public approval of the court has fallen in recent years, according to polls.
• The late Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the court in the 1930s after it kept striking down his New Deal policies, but the plan ultimately went nowhere after the public and lawmakers from his own party turned against it.

The proposed bill to pack the Supreme Court is a controversial move that could have far-reaching consequences.