Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, said on Fox News on Monday that Democrats' push to reform the U.S. Supreme Court could backfire come November.
Hanson appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” to discuss President Joe Biden's new proposal for sweeping reform of the Supreme Court, including term limits for justices and a “binding code of conduct.” As Democrats pressed Biden on reform, Fox host Laura Ingraham asked Hanson why Democrats didn't push for reform “10 years ago.” (Related: Biden proposes sweeping Supreme Court reforms to overturn presidential immunity rulings)
“Well, we know why. It's been a stain on President Franklin Roosevelt for over 80 years, and it's because he tried to overstaff the Supreme Court in 1937. Everybody agreed with that, but now they've gotten even worse. They view the Supreme Court as an assembly of the people, and if it doesn't have a majority, they want to get rid of it,” Hanson said.
“Judge Cannon ruled against them, Jack Smith reappointed her, Chuck Schumer didn't like what the court said about abortion, he threatened the justices by name, and said he didn't know what was going on,” Hanson continued. “They showed up at the judges' homes with impunity. They leaked memos opposing future abortion legislation. Their humanitarian goal of mandatory equality requires any means necessary.”
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Hanson went on to criticize Democrats for pushing for “one-party government” and believing they have “control,” but warned that Democrats could “be harmed” if Republicans “wisely” jump on board with finely-tuned messaging.
“Typically, they want to have just one branch of government, and it's a majority elected by the people, and they think they can control it. But it's not going to work. It's a travesty. If Republicans are smart and point this out to their voters, it will be a blow to them too,” Hanson said.
Biden released his list of proposals on Monday, arguing that the Supreme Court is “in the midst of an ethics crisis.” Editorial From The Washington Post.
Among the list, Biden called for “a ban on immunity for former presidents for crimes committed while in office,” term limits for Supreme Court justices, and a code of conduct that would require judges to “disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and opt out of cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest.”
The president's new push comes in the wake of several rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, some of which were unfavorable to the Biden administration.
Vice President Kamala Harris also voiced her support for Biden's reforms, saying, “The Supreme Court is clearly facing a crisis of credibility after numerous ethics scandals and a series of decisions overturning long-standing precedents called into question its impartiality.”
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