Posted on 06/01/2021 9:42:35 AM PDT by blam
I have previously criticized Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., for his almost unrivaled advocacy of censorship and speech controls. Blumenthal previously threatened social media companies not to “backslide” in censoring opposing views. Now, Blumenthal is taking up the cudgel of court packing with not so subtle threats to conservative justices that, if they do not vote with their liberal colleagues, the Court may be fundamentally altered.
He is not alone in such reckless and coercive rhetoric.
Blumenthal told The Hill:
“It will inevitably fuel and drive an effort to expand the Supreme Court if this activist majority betrays fundamental constitutional principles. It’s already driving that movement. Chipping away at Roe v. Wade will precipitate a seismic movement to reform the Supreme Court. It may not be expanding the Supreme Court, it may be making changes to its jurisdiction, or requiring a certain numbers of votes to strike down certain past precedents.”
The statement is reminiscent of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declaring in front of the Supreme Court:
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price.”
Democratic leaders not only have embraced court packing but now openly threaten the Court to vote with the liberal justices or face dire consequences for the Court. The effort seems to be a play for the change in voting on the Court the followed prior threats for court packing in the 1930s. Faced with a conservative majority ruling against his New Deal legislation, Roosevelt called for up to six additional justices, one for every justice older than 70. That was basically the profile of the “four horsemen” blocking his measures.
Like the latest calls, the FDR plan was based on politics rather than principle. When the politics changed, the plan died. FDR dropped his plan as soon as he got what he wanted with a favorable majority. That is why the switch of Justice Owen Roberts in favor of a New Deal case became known as a “switch in time that saved nine.”
The Democrats are pushing to engage in court packing despite polls showing heavy opposition to the move from voters as well as opposition from the justices themselves. Before Ginsburg died, nine nominations had occurred in election years since 1900, and Ginsburg herself said in 2016 that the Senate had to do its “job” and vote on such nominations because “there’s nothing in the Constitution that says the president stops being president in his last year.” Moreover, Ginsburg also opposed expanding the Court, but she is not being cited by liberals as the reason to doing precisely what she opposed as inimical to the functioning of the Court. Justice Steven Breyer has also denounced the move to pack the court.
None of that matters to Democratic members who know that court packing is popular with the most extreme elements of their party.
Many of us have discussed the expansion of the Supreme Court through the years. Over 20 years ago, I recommended the expansion of the Court to 17 or 19 members. However, that recommendation would occur over many years and would not give advocates the short-term majority that they are seeking. That is the difference between reforming and packing the Court.
It is particularly chilling to see United States senators openly pressuring justices to vote with their side or face severe consequences. Blumenthal went as far as to mention specific cases and the expected rulings. This follows raw demands in the confirmation hearing of now Justice Amy Coney Barrett that she promise to rule on particular cases “correctly” as a condition for her confirmation.
The question is whether the Democrats are overplaying their hand. Recently, a Democratic “dark money” group called Demand Justice, had a billboard truck in Washington the next day in the streets of Washington warning “Breyer, retire. Don’t risk your legacy.” The group is calling for open court packing to force a liberal majority. (Demand Justice once employed White House press secretary Jen Psaki as a communications consultant, and Psaki was on the advisory board of one of its voting projects.) The question is whether Breyer will accommodate such demands from the left or feel conversely that he should remain on the bench to show that such tactics do not influence members.
(snip)
and it has to end.
Lady Justice needs earplugs too.
WE like it perfectly fine when they rule *our* way, though.
“Judicial Activism”, like Gerrymandering, is in the (partisan) eye of the beholder.
Not saying some of ‘em don’t deserve a long drop, but I don’t pretend that I’m any less pissed off and partisan when they rule the way I don’t like.
I hope the Court send these liberal tyrants a clear message by smacking them down, via rulings unfavorable to their tyranny.
“Justice is whatever they want it to be.”
Like everything else in our delusional present. This won’t end well.
If the Justices are afraid of BLM/Antifa riots in front of their residencies, just wait til CWII breaks out.
Agree Roberts is a horrible justice. Patently false decision in Obamacare. Brought widespread contempt for the court. Roberts is clearly evil to the core himself or else is under malevolent control.
“...if this activist majority betrays fundamental constitutional principles.”
These are the folks - these thugs - are the people telling us THEY believe in democracy and we don't? We know the tree by it's fruit... and the fruit of the democrat tree is totalitarian poison... Bullies and thugs are as bullies and thugs do...
I’ve noticed that democrat politicians “warn” supreme court justices all the time with impunity.
Well it seems even the liberal justices don’t like being threatened by a Dem Senator. 9-0 ruling against Asylum seeker who was trying to claim said asylum for something other than race, religion or political group oppressions by a Dictatorial Regime.
9-0 which in essence affirms what Trump was doing with Asylum laws. Political Asylum is granted when a migrant/immigrant can show persecution do to Racial/Ethnic, Religious political reasons.
During Tx appeal to SCOTUS Roberts berated three new, conservative justices.
That's how it's done in commie hellholes... the 'institutions' that pretend to represent the people are just rubber stamps for their corrupt 'elites'...
Biden and thugs are bringing hell on earth to the US and justifying it by telling themselves Americans want to trade their freedom and dignity for State Run Health care and a few extra bucks stolen from the uber rich.
That commie bullsh*t line was used to take over Cuba years ago... After commies pulled it off and citizens woke up to what the trade off REALLY WAS, Cuban officials set up patrols around Cuba to shoot Cuban families trying to escape.
Thousand tried escaping.
Thousands died trying to escape commie East Germany too.
Thousands died trying to escape North Korea and every other commie hellhole on the planet.
And if Biden and Harris and Ayers, and Obama bring that shit here - we'll try to escape too.
Too bad neither Biden and/or Harris had the balls to run on their commie horror... Even their criminal precinct people couldn't have caged enough fake votes to overcome that Trump landslide...
Things generally seem to work out for Democrats. They usually get whatever they want because they have no real opponent. The GOP always folds for them.
Ah, so Da Nang Dick is threatening a whole branch of government? He’s such an upstanding human being. /s
No, not angels.
Believers who have trusted Christ for salvation.
After a nice tune-up, of course.
bkmk
Thanx for the clarification. Should have figured that out myself.
“The GOP always folds for them.”
Can’t blame just on the politicos. Mostly it’s the fault of us, the grassroot, that just sit on our asses while the left is always marching, protesting and burning things. And they hold their politicos feet to the fire.
Sadly, we do no such things and consequently we’re getting our ass kicked.
I guess things have to get a lot worse for us before we can be bothered to act... and by then it may be too late.
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