Former Attorney General Eric Holder suggested that after Democrats take back the Senate and the White House, they should expand the Supreme Court to wipe out the damage that Trump and the GOP have done and restore judicial norms.
The Daily Beast reported that Holder made the comments while speaking at Yale:
“In response to a question, Attorney General Holder said that given the unfairness, unprecedented obstruction, and disregard of historical precedent by Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans, when Democrats retake the majority they should consider expanding the Supreme Court to restore adherence to previously accepted norms for judicial nominations,†said spokesman Patrick Rodenbush.
Should Democrats Pack The Supreme Court?
Holder is the highest ranking Democratic official to embrace court packing. Democrats could easily add two seats to the court, one of which in the name of poetic justice should go to Merrick Garland, and create a 6-5 liberal majority. The reason for taking such a drastic step is that the court has been tainted first by Mitch McConnell blocking the Garland nomination, and then by a criminal president being allowed to nominate a Supreme Court justice under dubious circumstances.
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If Trump crashes in a ball of scandal and disgrace, Democrats may have to take some unprecedented steps to get the country back on track and restore institutions and norms. Republicans broke the system, and it will be up to a future Democratic and Senate to fix it.
Court packing is an idea whose time may have come.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
