Washington, D.C. — Court packing isn’t just a theoretical idea—it’s happening right now, according to a new column from the Center for American Progress.
While the phrase usually refers to President Franklin Roosevelt’s attempt to drastically expand the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1930s, the past four years have seen conservatives embark on a similarly audacious plan to achieve their policy goals by altering the ideological bent of the courts, including the Supreme Court, the column says.
This stealth court-packing plan is a two-step approach. Step one: Steal seats by blocking the confirmation of judges until both the White House and the Senate are under conservative control. Step two: After first preventing former President Barack Obama from appointing judges, change the nomination and confirmation process rules so that the most partisan conservative judges can be appointed at breakneck speed.
The column says progressives need to start talking about how to respond to this massive court-packing effort that seeks to establish control over the judiciary for a generation.
Read the column: “Conservative Court Packing” by Sam Berger.
For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.