Despite pressure from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow progressives to do so, the White House says that Joe Biden does not support the expansion of the Supreme Court!
In the wake of the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade and desperate calls from the left to find ways to keep and increase access to legal abortions, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden “does not agree with” expanding the Supreme Court as a way to possibly reverse the controversial decision.
It is yet another example of in-fighting among progressives and the more moderates of the Democratic party, even on a subject so basic to the Democrat’s platform as abortion rights.
Referring to how the President felt about Supreme Court expansion, Jean-Pierre said, “I was asked this question yesterday, and I’ve been asked it before… about expanding the Court. That is something that the President does not agree with. That is not something that he wants to do.”
On June 24, The Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade – the landmark case guaranteeing a right to abortion. Since the historic ruling, twenty-two states have already made it illegal or inaccessible to obtain an abortion.
Democrats have previously called on Biden to endorse legislation that would add more judges to the nine-member Supreme Court in order to offset the current conservative super-majority.
Progressive leader, and social-democrat, AOC has been among those most vocal in calling on Biden and Congressional Democrats to work on court reforms, including restraining judicial review and expanding the courts.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey also tweeted Friday in support of an expansion of the courts.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota called on Biden in an op-ed published in the New York Times Saturday to declare a public health emergency. The senators wrote that such a declaration would “protect abortion access for all Americans, unlocking critical resources and authority that states and the federal government can use to meet the surge in demand for reproductive health services.”
Biden put together a commission to study options for Supreme Court reform in 2021. The commission, made up of legal scholars, recommended term limits for justices in a report published in December
Jean-Pierre said the President would “continue to look at solutions” on abortion rights and speak to legal scholars but did not specify what – if any – specific actions Biden would be taking.