Biden pushes forward on commission to study Supreme Court 'reform'

The White House said that President Joe Biden is proceeding with the creation of a bipartisan commission to study reforms to the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary, which he pledged to do during the campaign.

ADVERTISEMENT
Image
Ari Hoffman Seattle WA
ADVERTISEMENT

The White House said Wednesday that President Joe Biden is proceeding with the creation of a bipartisan commission to study reforms to the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary which he pledged to do during the campaign.

In October, Biden said that he would assemble the commission to send him recommendations, within his first 180 days, on how to reform a court system that's "getting out of whack."

The idea of the commission was then candidate Biden's answer to the demands of progressives to 'pack the court,' by expanding the number of justices to outnumber the conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

According to Politico, The White House Counsel’s office will oversee the commission and that Biden campaign lawyer Bob Bauer, will co-chair the commission.

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration would not confirm Politico’s claim that “Cristina Rodríguez, a professor at Yale Law School and a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Obama Department of Justice, who will join Bauer as co-chair.”

Politico also reported that Caroline Fredrickson, the former president of the American Constitution Society, and Jack Goldsmith, a former assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush and a Harvard Law School professor, would also join the commission.

Commission members are still being recruited by the Biden administration, but a source familiar with the discussion told Politico that they expect somewhere between nine and fifteen members to be appointed to the commission.

In a 60 Minutes interview in October, Biden said there were "alternatives" to court packing, such as the commission.

"It's not about court packing," said Biden. "There's a number of other things that our constitutional scholars have debated, and I've looked to see what recommendations that commission might make. ... There's a number of alternatives that go well beyond packing."

Biden added, "The last thing we need to do is turn the Supreme Court into just a political football, whoever has the most votes gets whatever they want. Presidents come and go. Supreme Court justices stay for generations."

This was a lighter version of a statement made in 1983 by then Senator Biden which was discovered by Fox News. Biden called court packing a "bonehead" idea during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on nominations to the US Commission on Civil Rights during the Reagan administration.

Calls for court packing began during the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, in the weeks leading up to the November election. Progressives have been more vocal in their desire to do so since they gained control of the Senate earlier this month.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join and support independent free thinkers!

We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

Support The Post Millennial

Remind me next month

To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 The Post Millennial, Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Personal Information