Originally published at: Democrats Flirt with Radical Reforms Needed to Dethrone Supreme Court - TPM – Talking Points Memo
Choking on the blistering injustice of the Callais decision, even normie Democrats are starting to make noise about drastically remaking the Supreme Court. Both former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) have come out in support of court expansion in recent weeks, the reform that has come to shorthand a willingness to…
1 Like
It’s nice to have something that offers hope.
8 Likes
Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) warned that court packing and its “evil twin,” adding states, “would be a recipe for potential civil war in this country.”
I went to school with Mike. He should watch his back, because while he may be from a comfortable Republican district, the progressives in this town are fighting hard.
I’ve seen a ton of just independent progressive groups producing billboards, showing up at protests, and pushing back.
Mike, Gonzaga Prep taught us different lessons. It taught me that the louder people proclaim their faith, whether it’s Catholicism or Protestantism, The less likely they were to uphold the values of their faith. It taught you that going along helps you get along. Mike, you didn’t bully me in Highschool. Almost everybody else did, and I had it coming, pointing out hypocrisy is never popular, not with the students, not what the football team, not with the rich boys like you, not even with the teachers.
We learned different lessons. You learned to call democracy evil. I learned to never trust the rich or religious.
I have changed. I forgive. I forgive all of you. I will pray to the gods and the flying spaghetti monster and even the Lord and Jesus Christ that you can change too.
Edit: I just realized something. Mike! That was a threat. You just literally threatened civil war!
13 Likes
A recipe for civil war, eh?
Win or lose, Republicans are always quick to threaten violence.
10 Likes
If a proposal to give Congress more power is on the table, then we need to also uncap the number of Representatives.
6 Likes
It’s cute that he thinks that this action “might provoke a Civil War,” but discounts the effects of the gutting of the VRA, Dobbs, Chevron, Clean Water Act, and the Court’s destructive Shadow Docket. Look how they disdain Democratic power! We are not remaining in the battered wife position much longer, Congressman. Kate Riga: Outstanding work!!!
11 Likes
4 Likes
This court’s destruction and the unprecedented means they used led to the corruption and harm Trump inflicts daily. They teed it up to help republicans win despite their unpopularity. Time for a drastic change. In addition, pass SCOTUS ethics reform with accountability.
7 Likes
Challenging the idea that the Supreme Court is the final word on Constitutionality is absolutely the way to go. It should be coupled with legislation mandating that lower courts are only required to follow Supreme Court ‘precedent’ when the Supreme Court has issued a unanimous decision.
3 Likes
We added states regularly in the 19th and even the 20th centuries. Republicans added states (the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana) to pack the US Senate. There wasn’t any reason to split the Dakotas except to add two more Republican Senators. One could make a reasonable case on the basis of population that those four states should probably be one, or maybe two states. Certainly not four.
If a US territory or commonwealth wants to become a state and meets some reasonable criteria (population larger than the current least populous state, a proposed state constitution, and plebiscite results demonstrating majority support for statehood within the territory seem like a reasonable starting point), then admit it as a state. Why should a process commonplace in the 19th Century provoke a civil war in the 21st?
We need to reform the House while we’re at it. Increase its size to 900 for starters.
4 Likes
Unless a future Democratic Congress and president end the filibuster and pass meaningful reforms — including court expansion — the current MAGA 6 supermajority will stymie any legislation and rules they pass. The Supreme Court is corrupt, partisan, and utterly broken, and Democrats have to stop being weak, timid, and fearful.
6 Likes
Flirt is as far as they get.
Fetterman will screw it up, or some institutionalists or “moderate Democrats” will torpedo abolishing the filibuster before we even get that far.
Some “Democrats” shouldn’t even be allowed to call themselves Democrats. Our tent has to have common values - and those folks don’t share them.
Congress controls the size of the Supreme Court as well as its jurisdiction beyond Constitutionally proscribed areas.
The filibuster needs to go. The Supreme Court needs to be reined in. Several nominees lied during their confirmation hearings.
3 Likes
Yes he did. And adding States is evil? Wtf Mike (if I may!), was it evil when CA joined the Union? Or New Mexico, Alaska, Kansas, Idaho?
I guess if they are majority black or brown it is. So Hawaii, evil, and look, if they hadn’t been allowed in we never woulda had that tan suit wearing Barack Obama feller as President!!
It taught me that the louder people proclaim their faith, whether it’s Catholicism or Protestantism, The less likely they were to uphold the values of their faith.
That is a hard truth ealleniii. Glad you learned it, too bad Mike didn’t. I think that can be called a tell.
3 Likes
The Supreme Court also desperately needs a stern and binding code of ethics. How to make it binding. Well, the Constitution provides that federal judges (including Supereme Court justices) shall hold office for life, provided they exhibit “good behavior.”
“Good behavior” should mean none of the behavior displayed by Thomas (most egregiously), as well as by Alito and Roberts (I’m thinking of how Roberts tolerated his wife profiting by her connection with the Federalist Society’s recruitment machinations).
Violations of the (yet unwritten) Code of Ethics should result in those three justices being kicked out of the federal judiciary.
1 Like
And no shadow docket, that is unacceptable. No decisions in the shadows, every decision argued and signed. The shadows is for cowards and frauds.
3 Likes
Hawaii has been a US Territory since 1897, when the U.S. Attache and the sugar planters stole the country from the Hawaiian Alii and the nã kãnaka o Hawai’i. Had Hawaii not been granted statehood in 1960, Obama would have been born in the Territory of Hawaii and still would have been eligible to run for President.
Hawaii only became a state because Alaska was available to be added. Democrats in Congress didn’t want to add Hawaii because it was expected that Hawaii would be a GOP state. Alaska was seen as a counterbalance in the Senate–it was expected to be a Democratic state.
2 Likes
If I could draw, my editorial cartoon would play on the image of the fall of Sai Gon* in ‘74 with helicopters plucking people off the embassy rooftop. The rooftop would be filled with black and brown people; the Huey would have “VRA” emblazoned on the side. Justice Roberts would be the pilot with Alito and Thomas actively preventing people from climbing aboard.
I thought of purchasing a Bicentennial+50 T-shirt that says USA 1776-2026 and adding “It was fun while it lasted.”
Writing this from Halifax, Nova Scotia where my wife and I are on a summer road trip. Sucks to live in interesting times.
- Many Viet Namese city names are actually two words, as is Viet Nam itself. Sai Gon, Da Nang, Nah Trang, Ha Noi. Americans just mush them together.