For John, BLUF: So much for knowing what is going on in our Nation's Capitol, with slight of hand being done hither and yon. This is trying to change the Supreme Court in order to ensure that legislation, heretofor considered of questionable Constitutionality, will be allowed to pass muster. Nothing new here. President Franklin Roosevelt tried it back in 1937. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Hill, by Reporters Morgan Chalfant and John Kruzel, 9 April 2021, 11:33 AM EDT, via Not the Bee.
Here is the lede plus three:
President Biden signed an executive order Friday establishing a commission to study whether to add seats to the Supreme Court and other reform proposals, the White House announced, fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail.So, here we go, off on a project to "pack" the US Supreme Court. I frankly take this as one more effort to undo whatever the President Donald J Trump Administration has done. And to find a way to slip it past the Congress and the People.The commission will be chaired by former White House counsel Bob Bauer and Cristina Rodríguez, a Yale law school professor and former deputy assistant attorney general, and largely consists of academics and former officials from across the political spectrum.
It will delve into the issue of potentially expanding the court — an idea that has been floated by some progressives but heavily criticized by Republicans — and which Biden himself has been cool to, though without explicitly ruling out the option.
“The Commission’s purpose is to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals,” the White House said in a release. “The topics it will examine include the genesis of the reform debate; the Court’s role in the Constitutional system; the length of service and turnover of justices on the Court; the membership and size of the Court; and the Court’s case selection, rules, and practices.”
And when I say slip it by I mean just that. Look at Candidate Biden back in October of last year.
Here are the first seven (short) paragraphs of the article: From The New York Post, By Reporter Mary Kay Linge, 10 October 2020, 1:22pm.
Voters don’t “deserve” to know Joe Biden’s stance on packing the Supreme Court, the Democratic nominee said this week.So, while running for President, then Vice President Joe Biden took the position that there were certain things the voters don't deserve to know. I wonder what other positions of Candidate Joe Biden the voters didn't deserve to know?In a prickly interview with a Las Vegas news station Friday, the Biden doubled down on his refusal to say whether he supports expanding the highest court in the land to more than nine justices.
“This is the number one thing that I’ve been asked about from viewers in the last couple of days,” began KTNV’s Ross DiMattei.
“Well, you’ve been asked by the viewers who are probably Republicans,” Biden sarcastically responded.
“Don’t the voters deserve to know where you stand on …” DiMattei continued.
“No, they don’t deserve,” Biden snapped. “I’m not going to play his game.”
This kind of thinking makes elections like buying a pig in a poke. Which is a way of saying not totally free and open.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Is President Biden thinking of doing something with Congressional approval that might be struck down by the current Supreme Court? Otherwise, why take this stance on the expansion of the Court's justices (where he can place in his own) and powers (where he can basically rewrite them). Let me see, I think 52 justices might be a nice round USA figure? Are there any other takers...oh, I forgot, we would need 53 so as to have a decision which has a majority....so I guess the residents of DC under that proposal would get their well-deserved representation after all. Do they pay taxes? Does anybody know the significance of taxation without representation? I would rather see President Biden do something more like giving the residence of the District of Columbia two senators and a demographically appropriate number of legislators. Odds are these south eastern continental United States residing citizens would vote him in again, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteSame anonymous as above: However, there is another number President Biden could choose, say 13 men and/or women sitting at a bench, aka a long table like object. This close AFTER Easter I want to assure all of you that this would not spell the Last Supper of either the Supreme Court nor the USA. Yet the interesting questions to ask are: Who is the Jesus like figure? Does he know who the Judas like figure is? Can they work together well? Perhaps we will see another version of history attempting to undo the unluckiness of the number 13, and I think that would be JUST and great! All in favor place your two hands together, vertically, and posit a virtual moment of silence heavenward--or in what ever direction your personal Deity resides, recalling that if at this remark you find yourself looking in the mirror then please do turn around so as to be bidirectionally consist! Do we assume President Biden believes the motto "In God we trust!" I would like to see him prove it by leaving the Supreme Court exactly as it is--constitutionally perfect--even if he cannot personally stand the individuals who sit there providing a check and balance preventing executive and/or congressional acts which may unknowingly imperil our nation and/or our version of democracy.
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