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Conservative Supreme Court justices continue to engage in an exercise of hypocrisy and bad faith posturing on and off the bench. Speaking at a Salt Lake City event sponsored by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, named for the former Republican senator, Justice Clarence Thomas claimed he was concerned about polarization of the Supreme Court.
According to the Associated Press, the Court’s most senior justice expressed dismay at efforts to “expand” or “pack” the Court. He claimed that expanding the Court would erode respect for the institution but had nothing to say about the two seats stolen from the American people.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell obstructed former President Barack Obama’s confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. He also sat silent when Justice Amy Coney Barrett was rammed through ahead of the November 2020 election.
Thomas sounds more like a right-wing pundit than a member of a respected institution when he tries to act like his wife, is misunderstood and unfairly attacked by the media. Honestly, if Thomas were really worried about the Court’s credibility, he would be talking to Ginni Thomas about respecting democracy and process, given her efforts in support for overturning the 2020 election.
As previously reported by NewsOne, proposals to expand the Court are not new. While the current Court has nine justices, the number of seats was adjusted several times in its early years. Now that there are 13 federal circuits, proponents see the value in having 13 justices on the Supreme Court.
Having nine justices made sense when there were nine circuits, with one job assigned to overseeing a particular circuit. In a prior interview with NewsOne, Tamara Brummer, senior advisor and director of national outreach and engagement for Demand Justice, said balancing the Court is necessary after Republicans stole seats.
“Demand Justice and other partners believe that the way we fix the Supreme Court is that we need to add seats,” Brummer said. “Mitch McConnell denied Barack Obama a nominee. And then Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump denied the American people another nominee when there was a vacancy.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote an op-ed in December 2021 challenging conservative hypocrisy on expanding the Court. Echoing similar points made by Brummer, Warren announced she was co-sponsoring the Judiciary Act of 2021, adding four seats to the Supreme Court.
“Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to change the size of the Supreme Court,” Warren wrote. “Congress has used that authority seven times before. To restore balance and integrity to a broken institution, Congress must expand the Supreme Court by four or more seats.”
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Clarence Thomas’ Wife Gleefully Cheered On White Supremacists At The Capitol
Source: NewsOne
