Posted on 03/18/2019 1:16:07 PM PDT by caww
If this action would further distract the left from obstructing the building of our Wall I say go for it!
> The supreme court, through legislation, was fixed at 9 seats in the late 1800s. It would take a huge effort to change that number. <
Twenty years ago i would have agreed with you. But not now. The Democrats have lurched far left. And they have demonized Republicans. So if the D’s take the House, the Senate, and the Presidency in 2020 (or whenever), they will attempt to pack the court.
It it would be easy. Pass a bill. The President signs it. Boom. Done. And the excuse for all that? Kavanaugh is a rapist. The nasty Republicans wouldn’t allow Garland to come up for a vote. Etc. Half the American public would cheer.
I like that idea because it sounds fun!
But I would never expect Leftists to be bound by logical consistency. They think they are special, and are entitled to pack the Court-- while the GOP isn't.
Stupidest idea ever
> They’ll ditch the filibuster and ramp it up to 15 justices faster than you can say “it’s a tax”. <
Yes, indeed.
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-does-the-supreme-court-have-nine-justices
The Judiciary Act of 1789 established the first Supreme Court, with six Justices.
“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assembled, That the supreme court of the United States
shall consist of a chief justice and five associate justices, any four of whom
shall be a quorum, and shall hold annually at the seat of government two sessions,
the one commencing the first Monday of February, and the other the first Monday
of August,” the act read.
Since 1789, Congress changed the maximum number of Justices on the Court several
times. In 1801, President John Adams and a lame-duck Federalist Congress passed
the Judiciary Act of 1801, which reduced the Court to five Justices in an attempt
to limit incoming President Thomas Jefferson’s appointments to the high bench.
Jefferson and his Republicans soon repealed that act, putting the Court back to
six Justices. And in 1807, Jefferson and Congress added a seventh Justice when
it added a seventh federal court circuit.
In early 1837, President Andrew Jackson was able to add two additional Justices
after Congress again expanded the number of federal circuit court districts.
Under different circumstances, Congress created a 10th circuit in 1863 during
the Civil War, and it briefly had a 10th Supreme Court Justice. However, Congress
after the war passed legislation in 1866 to reduce the Court to seven Justices.
That only lasted until 1869, when a new Judiciary Act sponsored by Senator
Lyman Trumbull set the number back to nine Justices, with six Justices required
at a sitting to form a quorum. President Ulysses S. Grant eventually signed
that legislation and nominated William Strong and Joseph Bradley to the
newly restored seats.
Since then, aside from President Franklin Roosevelt’s ill-fated threat to
support an effort to add new Justices (who sympathized with his policies)
to the Supreme Court, the number of Justices on the Court has remained stable.
FDR tried it. Not too successful.
If Repugs would not even support our President regarding the National Emergency on the border, they certainly would never approve adding more conservatives to the SCOTUS if Trump wanted it.
However if Rats wanted Congressional approval to add more Rats to the Court? Repukes would go for that in a heartbeat.
An easy change if Dems hold both houses. They’d change rules so that it could be passed by simple majority vote.
That, sir, is the current bottom line.
Young voters are taught the progressive world of socialism is the "fairest" way for all. Dems and Rinos are coming out of the political closet in droves and becoming more radical. In one sense, it is like high school all over again with followers wishing be in "the cool groups".
Unfortunately, it appears likely the nation will regain its balance only with a catastrophic event, if then.
HMMMMM
The question is really why should President Trump look as stupid as Ed Morrisey?
A false fantasy and it ain’t gonna happen that way.
Like McConnell making the Dem senators vote yes or no on their “Green New Deal”.
Yep.
If they have Harris and Gillibrand saying they would consider increasing the court of they win, then why not cut them off by having Trump say, "If it's good enough for Democrats if they win, why isn't it good enough now?"
Make those who support doing it in two years go on record denouncing it now.
-PJ
“In tonight’s news, The Supreme Court voted 157-156 to …”
Why not 127 seats?
4-D chess says he should.
No!
No. There is no benefit of more cooks to spoil the broth.
A man who has a watch knows what time it is.
A man with two watches is never sure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.