(IntegrityTimes.com) – Former President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent the expansion of the Supreme Court beyond its nine justices and resist any Democratic attempts to increase the number of its judges, according to a document released by the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee. The document declares that Republican officials promise to stop the Democratic Party’s “weaponization” of the justice system and federal government.
The platform stated that the Supreme Court was “meant to be” at 9 justices. It accused the Democratic party of wanting to increase the number by as many as 12 additional judges. In May Democratic Congress members proposed the addition of four more seats to the Supreme Court to address what they brand an “illegitimate” and “broken” right-leaning court.
The Demand Justice pressure group, which is lead by Brian Fallon, proposed the reintroduction of the Judiciary Act of 2023, which would expand the number of justices in the Supreme Court to 13. The group includes Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. New York Representative Jerrold Nadler, Washington DC Representative Hank Johnson, Missouri Representative Cori Bush and California Representative Adam Schiff are also members of the pressure group.
Controversy has plagued the Supreme Court, such as Justice Clarence Thomas’ failure to disclose gifts received. The lack of transparency relating to his lavish lifestyle has prompted calls for Thomas’ resignation. The Supreme Court has also reached several verdicts in Trump’s favor in the year of the election; the court ruled in March that states cannot remove the former president from their ballots, and the court since ruled to grant Trump immunity. Justice Amy Coney Barrett blasted “fear mongering” by Democrats and accused them of neglecting principles laid out in the Constitution.
The pressure to expand the Supreme Court has increased following the ruling to grant Trump absolute immunity from prosecution relating to core presidential acts. Though the 6-3 ruling was sent to lower courts, the ruling means that Trump’s pending legal battles are likely to be delayed until after the November election.
Copyright 2024, IntegrityTimes.com
