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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat and member of the ‘Squad’, aired her grievances against the U.S. Supreme Court, criticizing what she perceives as an ‘abuse of power’.
In particular, she condemned the court’s recent pivotal rulings on affirmative action and President Biden’s student loan debt plan. Ocasio-Cortez proposed impeachment and subpoenas as measures to curb the court’s power, arguing that they have overstepped their authority.
She emphasized the importance of discussing judicial review as a means to check the courts. The court’s end-of-term decisions rejecting the use of race in admissions, ruling in favor of a Christian web designer’s refusal to create same-sex wedding websites, and striking down President Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan have stirred controversy and drawn criticism from Democrats, who deem the court ‘illegitimate’.
Ocasio-Cortez expressed concern over these rulings, perceiving them as a dangerous step towards authoritarianism and an excessive concentration of power in the hands of the courts. She cited Justice Elena Kagan’s statement, highlighting the court’s tendency to assume the role of a legislature.
As a strong advocate for court-packing and limiting the court’s power, Ocasio-Cortez even suggested the possibility of subpoenas and impeachment to hold the court accountable. She stressed the need for stricter ethics guidelines to address any potential misconduct or abuse of power by Supreme Court members, notably mentioning Justice Clarence Thomas’ involvement in cases involving his wife on January 6th.
According to Ocasio-Cortez, if Chief Justice Roberts refuses to appear before Congress voluntarily for an investigation, subpoenas should be considered. She also argued for the necessity of conducting thorough investigations.
Taking misconduct, overreach, and abuse of power seriously, she claimed that impeachment should be an option on the table. Ocasio-Cortez contended that the Supreme Court has not been subjected to sufficient oversight, which threatens their legitimacy. She argued that their actions are profoundly perilous for the entire democracy.
Contrary to Ocasio-Cortez’s stance, President Biden contradicted her position on expanding the Supreme Court during an interview on MSNBC. He expressed his reservations about progressive efforts to enlarge the court, as he believed it could lead to the politicization of the court indefinitely, harming its integrity.
Biden remarked that some members of the court are acknowledging the questioning of their legitimacy, a realization that had not occurred in the past.
Notwithstanding their differences, Ocasio-Cortez gained attention when she commented on the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. She insinuated that the court’s claims of ‘ludicrous ‘colorblindness” lacked seriousness, suggesting they would have ‘abolished’ legacy admissions if they were genuinely committed.
Ocasio-Cortez, taking to Twitter, highlighted that 70% of Harvard’s legacy applicants are white, emphasizing that the court failed to address this issue, despite its potential impact on them and their supporters.
While Ocasio-Cortez’s assertion drew significant attention, it is worth noting that the issue of legacy admissions was not actually before the court. Consequently, critics on social media promptly pointed out this discrepancy in her statement, asserting that the court was not given an opportunity to rule on legacy admissions – the practice of granting preference to children of alumni.