by Logan Tantibanchanchai • 6 min read
Virtually every time a ruling comes down that does not favor the radical Left, their response is to attack the Supreme Court and our judicial system. After the Supreme Court issued its ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States, calls for court-packing quickly resurfaced.
On Monday, Rep. Hank Johnson of Virginia called on Congress to pass legislation that would expand the court from nine to 13 justices.
Congress must now pass my Supreme Court Ethics Recusal & Transparency Act, TERM Act and we must expand the court with my Judiciary Act. https://t.co/QjTYcR4HJE
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) July 1, 2024
My statement in connection with the Supreme Court decision to bend the knee to the Insurrectionist-in-Chief. pic.twitter.com/OqTF7PqAAt
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) July 1, 2024
The American Humanist Association—the same group that sued to topple the Bladensburg Peace Cross—issued a statement right after the Trump ruling. The group didn’t hesitate to call for passing a bill to pack the Court.
As First Liberty has warned previously, court-packing is a seriously dangerous proposal. It would destroy the judiciary, the rule of law and endanger our freedoms.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said House Democrats “will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity” in response. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) of New York called for the impeachment of justices on the Court.
“Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture,” AOC wrote in a post on X. “I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.”
The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control.
Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture.
I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2024
If trying to impeach Supreme Court justices wasn’t enough, AOC and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland also introduced the “High Court Gift Ban Act,” a bill that would prohibit justices from receiving gifts valued at more than $50.
The bill’s proponents say this would supposedly restore “faith and integrity” to the Court. It appears they have a misguided idea of what “integrity” means. That’s not what this legislation is about. This is just another part of making Americans hallucinate misconduct about the conservative justices on the Court.
If this were really about “integrity,” the radical Left wouldn’t just hyperfocus on the conservative justices. The double standard is clear. The far Left ignores and overlooks similar accusations of “ethics violations” against Democrat-appointed justices.
AOC’s bill adds to a long list of legislative schemes to destroy the Court’s integrity.
House lawmakers formed a “Court Reform” task force that will work to advance legislation that would supposedly fix “political activism” at the Supreme Court. When you look past all of the “reform” euphemisms, it’s clear that this task force is simply pushing some of the same extreme proposals they have previously promoted that would destroy the rule of law. Those include: court-packing, “ethics” codes on the justices and imposing term limits on justices—all of which our legal experts have explained would be a disaster for our country.
Rep. Dan Goldman of New York introduced the “Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act,” a bill that would establish two dedicated bodies inside the Supreme Court: the Office of Ethics Counsel and the Office of Investigative Counsel. This proposal is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt by one party in Congress to erode the separation of powers.
Big Money Scheme to Upend the Supreme Court and Judiciary
On cue, some of the most extreme groups in the country are also directing their ire at the Court after recent decisions. And they’re pouring millions of dollars into this Supreme Court Coup attempt.
Demand Justice, a progressive judicial advocacy group, intends to spend $10 million by the end of this year on a range of activities, from conducting opposition research on potential Supreme Court picks to advocating for ethics reforms for the high court, Politico reports.
Stand Up America, a group funded mostly by Democratic political action committees, recently launched a seven-figure campaign focused on attacking the Supreme Court’s integrity. They say their “campaign is designed to galvanize voters by emphasizing the consequences of this election for the Supreme Court and the Court’s impact on everything from abortion care to gun safety to voting rights.”
According to their press release, Stand Up America will “collaborate” with celebrities, including TV host Andy Cohen, actress Barbara Streisand, and other influencers, in addition to creating a website that will be “providing essential information about the Court, a pledge to be a Supreme Court voter, voter registration verification, and volunteer opportunities.”
For a group that says they’re “demanding the democracy we deserve,” Stand Up America’s policy recommendations don’t look very democratic. Among other constitutionally-suspect proposals, Stand Up America supports court-packing.
Don’t be fooled. These massive ad campaigns are just about those who want dislike how the Court is ruling and trying to get around those decisions.
As evidence, Stand Up America launched the campaign on June 24, the same day of the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court ruling that properly returned the power to regulate abortion to the states.
This isn’t Stand Up America’s first time spending big money to stage a Supreme Court Coup, though. In February, the organization kicked off a six-figure campaign calling for Supreme Court term limits. On its face, “judicial term limits” sounds benign. But this is really about getting rid of the justices the group sees as obstacles. This would effectively purge three of the Court’s conservatives: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito.
Another coalition of progressive groups pledged to spend $10 million to convince Americans that the Senate needs to “reform” the Supreme Court and end the filibuster. The United for Democracy coalition launched last year with a seven-figure ad buy. It has over 100 member organizations, including major labor unions, pro-abortion advocates, environmental groups and liberal think tanks.
These campaigns aren’t about “saving democracy” or “protecting our rights.” All of their proposals and attacks boil down to the Left trying everything possible to take control of the Supreme Court, even if it means destroying some essential pillars in our system of government. Simply put, this a brazen power grab.
If their politically motivated Supreme Court Coup succeeds, the judiciary will become little more than a tool of whomever holds power. Judges will lose their ability to enforce the rule of law with impartiality, and the last safeguard to our civil liberties—including religious freedom—will be gone.
Read More:
The Hill: Ocasio-Cortez vows to file impeachment articles against Supreme Court justices
Newsweek: Supreme Court Impeachment Plan Released by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Newsweek: Democrats Move to Expand Supreme Court After Trump Immunity Ruling
Axios: Democrats vow to get “aggressive” with SCOTUS after Trump ruling
Washington Examiner: Inside the million-dollar campaign to smear the Supreme Court ahead of 2024 election
Politico: Progressive advocacy group plans $10M offensive targeting Supreme Court
Newsmax: Demand Justice Launches $10M Campaign for Supreme Court Reform
New York Times: On Dobbs Anniversary, Democrats Look to Make the Court a Campaign Issue
Fox News: Sen. Tim Scott says Biden just put a political target on the back of the Supreme Court
Washington Post: Opinion | Should Biden campaign on reforming the Supreme Court?
First Liberty: Radical Left Spending $10 Million to End Filibuster & Rebuild Supreme Court
First Liberty: Another Ridiculous Smear Campaign Against Justice Clarence Thomas
First Liberty: House Lawmakers Push Bill to Create Ethics ‘Investigative Office’ Inside the Supreme Court
First Liberty: 2024 Election: The Future of the Supreme Court Could Be at Stake