Ex-Sen. Al Franken says Senate GOP 'destroyed' the legitimacy of the Supreme Court: 'They've stolen two seats'

The legitimacy of the Supreme Court was destroyed by Republicans in the upper chamber by refusing to hold a hearing for onetime nominee Merrick Garland and by installing Amy ConeyBarrett to the high court only weeks before the 2020 presidential election, according to former senator Al Franken.

During a CNN segment with Republican strategist Alice Stewart, the ex-Minnesota lawmaker said that he disagreed with Chief Justice John Roberts' recent remarks that citizens shouldn't question the legitimacy of the court because of rulings that they may disagree with.

The decline of the public's perception of the court was blamed on onetime Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell.

McConnell said it was because of an election year that the court's legitimacy was undermined. You remember Sen.?" Lindsey Graham said they wouldn't take up a nominee if there was a vacant seat.

They've taken two seats, one of which was not given a hearing for and the other where Amy ConeyBarrett was seated a week before the election. The legitimacy of the court was ruined by that.

—Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 10, 2022

McConnell refused to consider hearings for Garland, who was nominated by Obama to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. McConnell made his decision based on the fact that the next president should make the selection if there is a vacant seat.

When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, he nominated Neil Gorsuch to replace Scalia.

Shortly after Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the court, President Donald Trump chose a new justice. The Senate voted 50 to 48 to confirm the judge.

The liberal stalwart Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in September of 2020 after being nominated by Trump to replace her on the court. The Democrats pointed to the Republican Party's refusal to consider Garland's nomination four years before the election.

Less than two weeks before the election contest between Trump and Biden, the confirmation ofBarrett was done. Garland was easily confirmed by the Senate and received the support of McConnell after being nominated by Biden.

The Supreme Court voted to overturn abortion rights in the United States in June of this year, upending 50 years of precedent.

The writer and cast member of "Saturday Night Live" resigned from the Senate in January of last year after being accused of sexual harassment.