Elizabeth Warren wrote in an op-ed Wednesday that she now supports adding justices to the Supreme Court after it signaled it may overturn abortion rights.
On June 9, 2021, Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks to members of the media in front of the Supreme Court.
The Associated Press.
Warren wrote in an op-ed for the Boston Globe that she now supports expanding the Supreme Court because it is threatening the democratic foundations of our nation.
The senator said that the arguments against court expansion are wrong and that the court is being hijacked by Republicans.
Adding justices would help combat the court's low approval ratings and the public perception that it has become too.
During the 2020 presidential primaries, Warren said on the campaign trail that it was a good idea to add justices.
The only two senators who have sponsored Senate legislation that would add four justices to the Supreme Court are Ed Markey and Tina Smith.
The House version of the bill has more co-sponsors than the Senate version.
Continue watching after the ad Visit the Advertiser website.
I believe in the independence of the judiciary. Warren believes in a judiciary that upholds the rule of law, not one that ignores it to promote a deeply unpopular and partisan agenda.
There was aContra.
The proposal to add justices has drawn criticism even on the left, with a number of Democratic senators shrugging off the proposal as unrealistic and Pelosi refusing to bring the expansion bill up for a vote in April. The final report of the commission dedicated to studying Supreme Court reforms concluded that Congress has the power to expand the court, but it took no position on the wisdom of doing so.
What to watch for.
More Democratic lawmakers will follow Warren. Demand Justice said in a statement that they viewed her support as a tipping point for the movement. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in April that he would wait for the findings of Biden's commission before he took a position on adding justices. The final report of Biden's commission has been released, but Schumer's office hasn't responded to a request for comment on the senator's views.
We don't know what we don't know.
Biden supports expanding the court. The president has not taken a position on the issue on the campaign trail or in the White House, instead forming a commission to study the issue. The commission voted last week to submit its report to Biden, but the White House Press Secretary said it may still be a while before he actually weighs in.
The key background.
The effort to expand the Supreme Court has gained steam among some on the left over the past few years as President Donald Trump appointed three justices to the bench, giving the court a 6-3 conservative tilt. The tilt has become more concerning to Democrats as the court has signaled it is likely to roll back gun restrictions and dismantle abortion rights, as well as releasing unfavorable rulings on issues like immigration and the eviction moratorium. Congress sets the size of the court and the number of justices has changed six times, the last time being after the Civil War.
The Supreme Court should be expanded.
The Supreme Court Commission is against adding justices that serve Democratic values.
The Biden Commission does not have a position on expanding the Supreme Court.
Biden's Supreme Court commission endorsed the final report on term limits.
Liberal push to expand Supreme Court is dead among Hill Dems.
