It is essential for voters to know whether or not the integrity of the United States Supreme Court would be maintained by keeping the number of seats unchanged, should Joe Biden win the presidency. Presidential candidate Joe Biden must answer this question to all Americans, something that he has avoided doing so far.
Former vice president Joe Biden, as well as his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, avoided answering the questions about whether or not they would ‘pack the court,’ if they win the White House. In spite of being asked directly on national television, none of them gave a clear answer, indicating a clear lack of transparency.
The United States Supreme Court currently has nine seats, which many legal scholars believe is the most appropriate size for the country’s highest court. As the third branch of government, it is essential that the size and structure of this court is not tampered with by those who are elected to partisan offices in the legislature and the executive branch – meaning Congress and the Oval Office, respectively.
Last year, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opposed the idea of increasing the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. She reportedly said:
“Nine seems to be a good number. It’s been that way for a long time.”
Democrats, on the other hand, have expressed their support for increasing the size of the court.
The Supreme Court has five conservative justices and three liberal justices, following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Among the five who are conservative, Chief Justice John Roberts has often given decisions that have made people view him as the ‘swing vote’ on the court.
President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy on the court. If confirmed by the United States Senate, the court would shift to a 6-3 conservative majority. As a result, there are questions surrounding whether or not the Democrats would try to ‘pack the court’ if Joe Biden wins the presidency.
‘Packing the court’ would compromise the integrity of one of the three branches of the government. Increasing the size of the court for the purpose of shifting the majority from conservative to liberal would be an entirely political move.
Joe Biden, on Friday, in Las Vegas, was asked again whether voters deserve to know if he would attempt to pack the Supreme Court if he wins in November and Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the Senate as a justice on the Supreme Court. His response was:
“No they don’t.”
Joe Biden’s lack of a proper answer, and the condescending way in which he addressed the question about whether or not voters deserve to know his position on ‘court packing’ must make every American concerned about his ability to be a transparent leader.
Voters deserve to know whether or not Joe Biden would move to pack the court, should he become the president. His refusal to answer the question is a matter of great concern and something that voters must strongly take into account while casting their ballot this fall.