A group of Democrats on Thursday will introduce a bill to expand the Supreme Court as progressives push the White House to advocate for an expansion.
However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ripped his Democratic colleagues’ latest efforts to pack the courts Thursday; saying the media would broadcast “wall-to-wall outrage” if Republicans had tried to add new Supreme Court judges under Donald Trump.
McConnell said that “If Republicans had introduced a bill to add four Supreme Court seats for the last president to fill, there would have been weeks of wall-to-wall outrage on every newspaper and cable TV channel nonstop.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell: “If Republicans had introduced a bill to add four Supreme Court seats for the last president to fill, there would have been weeks of wall-to-wall outrage on every newspaper and cable TV channel nonstop.” https://t.co/gtamAgH7l6 pic.twitter.com/yKgUXhY8Rr
— The Hill (@thehill) April 15, 2021
“Democrats will introduce legislation Thursday to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, joining progressive activists pushing to transform the court.” NBC News reported.
“The move intensifies a high-stakes ideological fight over the future of the court after President Donald Trump and Republicans appointed three conservative justices in four years, including one who was confirmed days before the 2020 election,” adds the outlet.
The movement is being led by Sen. Ed Markey and Congressman Jerry Nadler.
“This bill marks a new era where Democrats finally stop conceding the Supreme Court to Republicans,” said Brian Fallon, a former Senate Democratic leadership aide
“Our task now is to build a grassroots movement that puts pressure on every Democrat in Congress to support this legislation because it is the only way to restore balance to the court and protect our democracy,” he said.
While not specifically enshrined in the US Constitution, the number of Supreme Court Justices has remained nine since 1869.
Watch it here: NBC News
Sources: The Hill, Sean Hannity, NBC News