Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

us supreme court
us supreme court

Florida News

Marco Rubio Continues to Punch Back at Democrat Efforts to Alter the Supreme Court

In recent months, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has floated the idea of a future president pushing to expand the Supreme Court beyond its current composition of nine justices. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, currently a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called for expanding the Supreme Court to 15 justices. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, who ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last week, has said she is open to expanding the court.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continued his efforts to swat down the calls from some Democrats to alter the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rubio joined U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and every Senate Republican in sending a letter to the clerk of the Supreme Court taking aim at U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s, D-RI, brief in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. City of New York. Whitehouse question some Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court should be able to rule on cases involving Second Amendment rights.

“The Democrats’ threat to pack the Supreme Court and intimidate the court’s decision is just their latest shortsighted effort to undermine America’s confidence in our institutions and our democracy,” Rubio said on Thursday. “Today, Senate Republicans are making it clear that our institutions matter, our Constitution matters, and we should fight to protect them.”

In recent months, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has floated the idea of a future president pushing to expand the Supreme Court beyond its current composition of nine justices. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, currently a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called for expanding the Supreme Court to 15 justices. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, who ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last week, has said she is open to expanding the court.

Rubio pushed back in a piece published at Fox News back in March.

“America’s institutions are far from perfect. But over the past two centuries, they have provided a framework for our nation to become the most dynamic, most vibrant, and most exceptional nation in all of human history,” Rubio wrote. “At this moment though, our institutions are suffering a crisis of confidence as families fragment and communities crumble. And most Americans view every branch of government with disdain.

“As we have seen, these problems do not necessarily fade from one election to the next. In fact, they may intensify. The path forward will require Americans, their political leaders, the news media and countless others to set aside the political tribalism that dominates today’s culture,” Rubio added. “Americans need to view one another as friends, neighbors and coworkers – not Republicans or Democrats.

“How does a divided nation overcome corrosive tribalism? Ultimately, we need a restoration of family and community. In the meantime, we should do no further harm. To this end, I am proposing a constitutional amendment to prevent the next political and cultural flashpoint: the packing of the Supreme Court for partisan gains,” Rubio insisted. “‘I want – as all Americans want – an independent judiciary as proposed by the framers of the Constitution,’ President Franklin D. Roosevelt explained in a fireside chat 82 years ago. While his language was unifying, FDR’s proposal was a transparent attempt to expand the nation’s highest court so he could appoint additional justices who would not stand in the way of his ambitious political agenda.

“The modern incarnation of court-packers shares FDR’s goals, though they are less unifying in their language. Proponents of a Democratic-led court-packing scheme foresee an impending ‘crisis’ – one that they use to justify their highly partisan tactics,” Rubio added.

 

Kevin Derby can be reached at Kevin.Derby@floridadaily.com.

 

Author

  • Kevin Derby

    Originally from Jacksonville, Kevin Derby is a contributing writer for Florida Daily and covers politics across Florida.

    View all posts

Archives

Related Articles

Florida Government & Politics

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed James Uthmeier, his former chief of staff, as the new attorney general. Uthmeier, 37, was sworn in during...

Political News

With bipartisan support, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) co-introduced a bill with Sen. Maggie Hassan, (D – NH) to reduce America’s reliance on China...

Political News

UPDATE: Ashley Moody was officially sworn-in as a US Senator, joining fellow Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott. Earlier today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced...

Political News

Marco Rubio is being interviewed today at a Senate Confirmation Hearing for his nomination as US Secretary of State. Rubio’s tenure in the Senate...

Advertisement
Florida Daily
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

HOW WE COLLECT E-MAIL INFORMATION:

If you sign up to subscribe to Florida Daily’s e-mail newsletter, you will provide us your e-mail address and name, voluntarily, and we will never obtain any of your contact information that you don’t voluntarily provide.

HOW WE USE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS IF YOU VOLUNTARILY PROVIDE IT TO US:

If you voluntarily provide us with your name and email address, we will use it to send you one email update per weekday. Your email address will not be given to any third parties.

YOUR CONTROLS:

You will have the option to unsubscribe to our E-mail update at anytime by clicking an unsubscribe link that will be provided in each E-Mail we send.