Amy Coney Barrett to be Confirmed for the Supreme Court on Monday

[DocWatts]

Looks like more bad news on the Horizon....
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/10/25/21532853/amy-coney-barrett-senate-vote-end-debate

Really hope Democrats do everything they can to obstruct this, and considering that it's likely that they'll have control of the Presidency, House, and Senate by January, perhaps some actual reforms to the Judicial System and the Supreme Court might be on the table.

[Preety_India]

This will really mess up the outcome of the election. Hope it's fair election and there is no interference by the court. 

Also I find it very strange that Trump constantly keeps mentioning about jailing Biden and Obama or Hillary. How can that be just a coincidence? 

 

[DocWatts]

9 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

This will really mess up the outcome of the election. Hope it's fair election and there is no interference by the court. 

Also I find it very strange that Trump constantly keeps mentioning about jailing Biden and Obama or Hillary. How can that be just a coincidence? 

I'll just file that as further evidence for Trump's fascistic leanings.

The fact that Supreme Court Justices have life time nominations is something that really needs to be re-examined, no one in a Democracy should be one of the most powerful people in the country for thirty or forty years. And we can't always bank on always having someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg actually using that position to help people.

A ten or twelve year term would be much more reasonable.

Edited October 26, 2020 by DocWatts

[Thewritersunion]

 

Can we reset the court by any chance?

[PurpleTree]

19 hours ago, DocWatts said:

 

The fact that Supreme Court Justices have life time nominations is something that really needs to be re-examined, no one in a Democracy should be one of the most powerful people in the country for thirty or forty years. 

A ten or twelve year term would be much more reasonable.

Yea the life time nomination is pretty wild.

[Leo Gura]

I don't see Biden having enough balls to pack the court.

That would only happen under a serious progressive. And even then, it's a long-shot. Packing the court is a pipe dream. And it would only be a short-term fix that further divides the country.

[DocWatts]

I  expect we'll be seeing more disastrous Court decisions in the upcoming years, if rulings like the ones on Citizens United (where it was decided that money used to influence elections = free speech) and the defanging of the Voting Rights Act are any indications.

I wonder what reforms to the Supreme Court are realistic to expect over the next two years with Democrats in control of the Presidency, House, and Senate. Back in 2008 they managed to squander their power on a toothless Health Care reform bill that improved some aspects of our exploitative Health Care system, but weren't able to include arguably the most important part (a Public Option). So I can't say my hopes are high...

Edited October 27, 2020 by DocWatts

[Lyubov]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I don't see Biden having enough balls to pack the court.

That would only happen under a serious progressive. And even then, it's a long-shot. Packing the court is a pipe dream. And it would only be a short-term fix that further divides the country.

Yeah I don't know. I think in normal circumstances he wouldn't but at the same time he is quite apt and a large portion of dems will support it. Chuck also said he won't forget this and I hope we hold him to it. I think expanding the courts if Dems hold a majority is a real possibility.  

Edited October 27, 2020 by Lyubov

[Gidiot]

At the least you need term limits(8-12 years) if you can’t pack the court, or a two thirds majority senate votes  to be confirmed these would all be steps in the right direction.

[Leo Gura]

3 minutes ago, Gidiot said:

At the least you need term limits(8-12 years) if you can’t pack the court, or a two thirds majority senate votes  to be confirmed these would all be steps in the right direction.

Yes, that's all nice, but it will require a huge expenditure of political capital to actualize. Biden will only have so much political capital.

[Gidiot]

@Leo Gura what would he need to do? Hoping for the 3 branch consolidation as well as public support for this. 
 

in the debate he said a coalition of legal scholars will help with reforms  I wonder if they will come up with similar solutions. 

[Lyubov]

nuke the filibuster and do it joe!

ez pz this way

[Jodistrict]

If FDR couldn’t pull it off during a depression, how is Joe going to do it?  Term limits would be more doable and easier to justify. 

  March 9, 1937: Fireside Chat 9: On "Court-Packing"

https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-9-1937-fireside-chat-9-court-packing

 

[Leo Gura]

2 hours ago, Gidiot said:

@Leo Gura what would he need to do?

No idea.

I think in practice the only way it will happen is in maybe 4 or 8 or 12 years AFTER the public gets some horrible Supreme Court decisions from the current court to the point of being furious about it. Right now the Supreme Court is still an abstraction for most voters. They don't feel the pain of it yet. The Court needs to dramatically diverge from the will of the people before there's a thirst to reform it.

Only like 25-30% of the public right now supports packing the court. It's not a winning issue for Dems. At least not yet.

[Hardkill]

On 10/27/2020 at 10:03 PM, Leo Gura said:

No idea.

I think in practice the only way it will happen is in maybe 4 or 8 or 12 years AFTER the public gets some horrible Supreme Court decisions from the current court to the point of being furious about it. Right now the Supreme Court is still an abstraction for most voters. They don't feel the pain of it yet. The Court needs to dramatically diverge from the will of the people before there's a thirst to reform it.

Only like 25-30% of the public right now supports packing the court. It's not a winning issue for Dems. At least not yet.

Sorry, to revive this thread, but I have to ask. If the US Supreme Court is still an abstraction for most voters, then why would it be so divisive for the Dems to pack the court when they have the whole government trifecta now? What's the worst that could happen?