The Supreme Court Is Out Of Control
The Problem
Our highest Court has been hijacked by partisan extremists who are overturning decades of precedent to undermine our democracy and our fundamental freedoms.
For years, conservatives have packed the court with judges who would unfailingly carry out their political agenda. Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell eliminated the filibuster to put three conservative extremists on the Court, including one eight days before Joe Biden was elected president.
The result? Today’s Supreme Court is made up of a 6-3 conservative majority that does not reflect our country’s politics or diversity. In fact, a majority of the justices are older, wealthy, straight white men—and more than half of the justices were appointed by presidents who lost the national popular vote.
This extreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, undermined gun safety legislation, and ended the right to abortion access for millions of Americans.
To make matters worse, billionaire conservative donors with interests in front of the Court have showered justices with luxury gifts and favors—including trips on private jets, vacations at luxury resorts, and undisclosed real estate deals.
Given all of this, Americans’ confidence in the Supreme Court has hit record lows.
The Solution
The American people deserve an ethical Supreme Court that we can trust to protect our freedoms and our democracy. Fortunately, there are three reforms in front of Congress to fix the Court.
Code of Ethics
The Supreme Court is still the only federal judicial bench without an enforceable code of ethics—which is why Justices like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have hobnobbed with billionaires without impunity. This can’t be allowed to continue.
The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act would create a long overdue code of ethics for the Supreme Court.
Term Limits
No other constitutional democracy in the world gives lifetime appointments to their highest judges, and 49 of our states already have term limits, mandatory retirement ages, or elections for members of their highest courts. It’s time for the federal government to follow suit. The Supreme Court Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization would create eighteen-year term limits for our highest justices.
Court Expansion
Our Constitution doesn’t dictate the number of justices on the Court, nor does it take a constitutional amendment to expand it. In fact, Congress has changed the size of the Supreme Court seven times. The Judiciary Act would expand the Court and help restore ideological balance by adding four new seats to the bench.
Though change this big won’t happen overnight, it is achievable if we build the political will to make it happen.
All three of these bills have been introduced in Congress, and we need to get more of our representatives to sign on as cosponsors to build momentum for their eventual passage.
Contact your lawmakers to help get them on board today.
Both the Judiciary Act and the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act have been introduced in the House, but we need to get more Democratic members signed on as cosponsors.
Contact your lawmakers to help get them on board today.