As more Democrats enter the 2020 presidential race, their outrageous ideas to fundamentally change America are receiving media attention. Abolishing the Electoral College is a hot topic. Some Democratic contenders also want to shake up the U.S. Supreme Court.
Obviously, liberals’ desire to mess with the highest court in the land stems in part from President Donald J. Trump’s appointment of two conservative justices during his tenure at the White House. To lessen the generational impact of these two appointments, Democrats are all too eager to put additional justices on the bench. In a recent op-ed for Fox News, Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, provided his plan to stop Democrats from the practice of court packing with a constitutional amendment.
“America’s institutions are far from perfect. But over the past two centuries, they have provided a framework for our nation to become the most dynamic, most vibrant, and most exceptional nation in all of human history,” Rubio said.
Addressing the political tribalism he feels is purveying the country today, the Florida Senator said, “Americans need to view one another as friends, neighbors and coworkers – not Republicans or Democrats. How does a divided nation overcome corrosive tribalism? Ultimately, we need a restoration of family and community. In the meantime, we should do no further harm. To this end, I am proposing a constitutional amendment to prevent the next political and cultural flashpoint: the packing of the Supreme Court for partisan gains.”
The amendment Rubio is proposing would keep the number of seats on the Supreme Court at nine. He explained, “There is nothing magical about the number nine. It is not inherently right just because the number of seats on the Supreme Court remains unchanged since 1869. But there is something inherently good and important about preventing the further destabilization of essential institutions.”
“Our nation may not be on the brink of civil war or dissolution, but we are suffering a crisis of confidence and we cannot withstand further erosion of trust in one another and our institutions,” the Florida senator continued. “The rhetoric used by some of my Democratic colleagues that suggests our institutions are increasingly unable to resolve modern society’s conflicts is dangerous. The perceived illegitimacy of institutions — from local election boards all the way up to the Supreme Court — threatens to undermine the very nature of our nation. These institutions are the way Americans traditionally mediate disputes among a very diverse population. We must fight to maintain and restore them.”
Court packing isn’t a new concept. President Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, tried to change the court. In his op-ed, Rubio detailed how Roosevelt only wished to “appoint additional justices who would not stand in the way of his ambitious political agenda.”
Democrats appear to have the same motives now. The idea of court packing became trendy in liberal circles after the Republican-controlled Senate refused to grant Merrick Garland, former President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the late Antonin Scalia’s seat on the bench, a hearing. Not surprisingly, court packing became even more popular among liberals after Trump put Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh on the highest court in the land.
In his op-ed, Rubio mentioned that 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Senators Cory Booker, New Jersey, and Kamala Harris, California, have attempted to delegitimize the court after the appointments of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is also running for president, has blamed Republicans for “stealing” court seats. After Democrats reclaim the executive branch, she’s stated that “all options are on the table.”
Interestingly, during a Senate Judiciary Hearing in 1983, former Vice President Joe Biden referred to court packing as a “bonehead idea.” Referring to Roosevelt’s court packing attempt, Biden said it was a “terrible, terrible mistake.” If he decides to jump into the already crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, one can only wonder if Biden’s views about court packing have “evolved” over the years.
U.S. Representative Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, plans to introduce a similar bill in the House.
~ Patriotic Freedom Fighter
