by First Liberty Institute • 4 minutes
84% of Americans believe the 2024 presidential election will have a major impact on the future of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a recent USA Today/Ipsos poll.
With Election Day approaching, Americans have a lot to consider. The economy, inflation, border security and crime are issues at the top of most Americans’ minds. But in a recent poll, Supreme Court nominations also ranked very high. Four in five (81%) said Supreme Court nominations will be important for how they are planning to vote in the presidential election in November.
The results also confirm that “court packing remains largely unpopular,” with 2/3 saying they’re against that proposal. That’s consistent with polling commissioned by First Liberty in 2021, 2022 and 2023 which showed that about 68% oppose expanding the size of the Court.
The Biden administration is pushing to overhaul the U.S. Supreme Court via judicial term limits and an “ethics code.” They’re trying to say this is about “saving democracy.” But this whole court “reform” scheme really boils down to a thirst for more political power.
The far Left, politicians, and some of the most radical groups in the country, are engaged in a full-scale effort to stage a Supreme Court Coup. They’re trying to wrest control of the nation’s highest court by any means necessary, whether it’s through court-packing, purging conservative Supreme Court justices, imposing a “code of ethics” and a host of other unconstitutional proposals.
Some experts say Biden’s plan is going nowhere and that it’s simply part of their campaign strategy to rally the extremes of his party to the polls. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the “reform” proposals are “dead on arrival.” This is largely because there’s divided government in Washington right now, which means there’s only a very slim possibility that some of these proposals would ever get through both chambers of Congress.
But that could change depending on what happens in November.
It’s possible the outcome of the election could put the far Left and its politicians in a position of power. They could gain the votes needed to push through their radical changes, which would effectively end judicial independence and destroy our system of justice. Sure, some of these changes, like ending life tenure, can only be done by a constitutional amendment. But others—such as expanding the size of the Court—can be done by a vote of Congress.
Elections can have a rippling effect on the courts. Look back at the last two federal election cycles. In 2020, President Biden and his party gained control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It was during the first couple of years of the Biden administration when this radical wave of proposals to overhaul the Supreme Court first emerged.
With political power, the President and his party tried their hand at court-packing. They introduced a bill in Congress to add four seats to the nation’s highest court, enough to flip the majority.
They even established a Supreme Court Commission to explore court packing. It was rigged from the start and overwhelmingly loaded with liberal commissioners. The commission was set up not to determine whether changes were needed, but how to change the Court.
The Commission ended up stymied, in large part thanks to First Liberty’s national campaign educating millions of Americans. After months of deliberation, the Commission could not in good conscience recommend court-packing, and even directly cited First Liberty research and arguments in its final report.
Plus, court packing was wildly unpopular. Americans overwhelmingly rejected it. By this point, court-packing had practically met its demise.
Then, the 2022 Midterm Elections happened. The power balance shifted in the House of Representatives, which meant divided government. This meant court-packing was effectively defeated, at least for one congressional term.
Now, the 2024 Election is right around the corner. With recent appointments, a majority of the Supreme Court now currently holds to the original meaning of the Constitution. But given the Biden administration’s renewed zeal for Supreme Court “reform,” that could quickly change, depending on the outcome of the next election.
Read More:
First Liberty: Religious Voters Could Be Deciding Factor in 2024 Election
First Liberty: The Supreme Importance of Your Vote
First Liberty: The Power to Change America is in Your Vote
Related News:
NBC News: Schumer vows Supreme Court reform will be ‘a very big priority’ if Democrats win election
New York Times: Opinion | The Election Is Crucial to the Supreme Court’s Future. Biden’s Reform Plans Are Not.
Washington Examiner: Biden Supreme Court reforms already on life support, legal experts say
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