Plans to pack the Supreme Court is gaining momentum among House Democrats as lawmakers call for legislation to add four seats to the bench.
On Monday (July 18), eight Democratic lawmakers lamenting recent Supreme Court decisions — including rulings that rolled back Miranda rights, allowed religion to be introduced into schools and threw out New York gun control laws — particularly the overturning of Roe v. Wade, said there was a need to add new Justices to the court.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA.), one of the eight calling for court packing and the lead sponsor of the 2021 Judiciary Act, expressed that the Supreme Court was “at crisis with itself and with our democracy.”
Johnson added that “basic freedoms are under assault” because of the conservative-leaning panel.
The Georgia Democrat also noted that, unlike Congress, the Supreme Court isn’t subject to the popular vote, something he believes the Court is using to amass power and make decisions that “usurp the power of the legislative and executive branches.”
Despite the nominal support from some Democratic lawmakers, there’s little chance the bill becomes a law as it faces skepticism from Democrats and opposition from Republicans.
However, the bill illustrates the growing frustrations among progressive Democrats regarding the direction of the Supreme Court under Justices — Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch — appointed under former President Donald Trump.
Since the appointment of the three Trump-Era Justices, the makeup of the High Court has been altered, making conservative Justices outnumber liberal ones two-to-one.
