(RightWing.org) – Since former Supreme Court Justice and darling of the Left, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, passed away last summer, Democrats have routinely threatened to pack the Supreme Court. The issue is coming to a head again as the 6-3 Republican-appointed-majority Supreme Court recently announced new cases the justices will hear in the fall term and wraps up the current term.
Democrats rightly believe the Supreme Court poses a threat to their most precious agendas. On Wednesday, May 26, several Democratic lawmakers again called on Congress to pack the Supreme Court. Recently, justices agreed to hear a landmark Mississippi abortion case in the fall term. Democrats believe the court intends to strike a blow to Roe v. Wade.
Democrats Try to Politically Undermine the Supreme Court
It’s important to remember that while the Supreme Court hears cases involving political issues, the court itself is not a political body. It’s tasked with considering cases and evaluating them based on objective law, not subjective politics.
Of late, Democrats like to revive the threat to pack the court when things aren’t going their way politically. It’s a temper tantrum of sorts. On Wednesday, May 26, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said if the high court makes conservative decisions in controversial cases, it will drive the effort to expand the court.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) added that conservative decisions would raise “concerns.” He added that if the Democrats can’t pack the Supreme Court, they would consider other means to reform it.
Democrats in a Pickle
For all the lofty language of packing the court and other supposed Supreme Court reforms, it’s more than a longshot. It’s nearly impossible.
There are two reasons why:
- Democrats don’t have the votes in their own party to pack the court, and they certainly won’t get any from Republicans. So, it’s dead in the water.
- To reform the court, it would likely take a Constitutional amendment because the court is one of three co-equal, but independent, branches of government.
What Is the Dems Agenda?
Prior to the court flipping conservative under Donald Trump, Democrats used the Supreme Court to make policy when they couldn’t pass their legislative agenda. That ended in 2017. The first and foremost objective of Democrats is to protect their liberal agenda at all costs. However, they’re hamstrung.
Some believe Democrats are warming America up to the idea of packing the court. Americans are largely against it. However, a second and plausible theory is that the Left is trying to bully and intimidate the Supreme Court to decide outcomes in its favor.
On Wednesday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) called the Democrats’ gimmick “blackmail.”
Good luck with that. Justices know their role as a co-equal and independent branch of government. There isn’t anything anyone in Congress or the White House can do to influence a ruling.
In the end, this is another feeble attempt to be relevant, persuade voters, and protect their agenda.
How’s it working out for Democrats?
Don Purdum, Independent Political Analyst
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