No seats have been added to the Supreme Court since 1937. In order to pack the Supreme Court, a single party needs control of both chambers of congress, and the presidency. Checks and balances are effectively thrown off.
That’s what we face today. Friday the New York Times reported that Biden will create a commission to study court packing (the process of adding more seats to the court).
Supreme Court Justice Breyer strongly opposes any effort to pack the Supreme Court.
“I hope and expect that court will retain its authority. But that authority, like the rule of law, depends on trust, a trust that the court is guided by legal principle, not politics. Structural alteration motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that perception, further eroding that trust.”Breyer said.
Breyer was nominated by Bill Clinton, a democratic president.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg also opposed court packing while she was still alive. Ginsburg was one of the most liberal and progressive justices to ever sit on the court.
But packing the court is not a “progressive” move. It is a regressive move and serves as nothing more than a grab for power. It will allow democrats to execute any plan they wish, having full control over all branches of government and effectively politicizing the Supreme Court.
Biden himself was originally against court packing. But seems to have changed his mind and opened himself up to the potentiality of the idea.