Sen. Tina Smith Cosponsors Bill That Aims To Expand SCOTUS: 'Doing Nothing Is Not An Option'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- U.S. Sen. Tina Smith announced Tuesday that she has become the first cosponsor to legislation that aims to expand the U.S. Supreme Court by four seats.
The Democrat from Minnesota says she joined the bill from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., because "balance must be restored to the court." The legislation, if passed, would mean the court would go from nine seats to 13.
Smith says the bill, called "The Judiciary Act," is not without precedent since the number of Supreme Court justices has changed several times.
"Republicans have been working to politicize the U.S. Supreme Court for forty years, with the help of dark money and the Federalist Society. With Donald Trump's help, they stole two seats, ensuring an ultra-conservative Court that is drastically out of step with the American people," Smith said. "Allowing Texas' extreme ban on abortion to stand is just the latest demonstration that much of the current Court has become dangerously unmoored from any reasonable principles of legal analysis. Doing nothing is not an option - we need to abolish the filibuster and reform and expand the Court. We have to pass The Judiciary Act to restore the U.S. Supreme Court back to reflecting our nation's principles and core beliefs."
It's time.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) September 28, 2021
Announcing I'm the first co-sponsor of @SenMarkey's bill to expand the Supreme Court. Let's restore balance to the Judiciary and eliminate the filibuster.