As some grapple with recent reporting that revealed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has benefited from expensive hospitality provided to him free of charge by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow over the years, expanding the court, as has been done repeatedly throughout American history, continues to enjoy favor from some.
“I support expanding the Supreme Court to bring balance to a body that’s been republican-held since 1970,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., (D-N.J.) said. “Balancing the court is our only way to cure the growing political poisoning of our judiciary by radical rightwing judges.” Other prominent figures who support the same move include Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is now running for Senate in his home state.
Shouldn’t there come a point where the positions taken by judges like, say, Clarence Thomas get so extreme that some kind of rectifying action is accepted as fitting just over the substance rather than procedural considerations or anything more vague? The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade overturned the right to healthcare that had been generally accessible for decades, and now, those who need that healthcare face serious and potentially dangerous hurdles, if there’s any reasonable pathway for them to access an abortion and related health services at all. Considering the many individuals whose pregnancies may unfortunately end in serious health complications that require an abortion, limits on accessing that procedure could endanger — and already have endangered — people’s lives amid related arguments for the general rights of pregnant people, the right to privacy, and the like. How much further can this court go before action like expansion or term limits?
I support expanding the Supreme Court to bring balance to a body that’s been republican-held since 1970. Balancing the court is our only way to cure the growing political poisoning of our judiciary by radical rightwing judges.
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) April 8, 2023
