Schumer: ‘We Would Certainly Be in the Constitutional Right’ to Pack Court

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated that Democrats “would certainly be in the constitutional right” to pack the Supreme Court, Republicans have already packed courts, “everything will be on the table” if Democrats control the White House and the Senate, and Democrats won’t “fall into the trap of debating” court-packing now.

Schumer said, “We would certainly be in the constitutional right to do it. Let me say this, you know, the Republicans are always looking for a smokescreen. They don’t want America to know that this justice would take away their health care. They don’t want America to know that this justice would repeal Roe v. Wade even though 71% of Americans are against it. They don’t want to know that this justice could turn the court into something that would get rid of all labor unions, make America a right-to-work state following the Janus decision. So, they come up with smokescreens.”

He continued, “And this idea, Democrats are going to pack the court. Well, what the heck were they doing? Listen to this, not only Merrick Garland, which they held back, Republicans introduced legislation a few years ago to limit the number of judges on the second-most important court in the land, the D.C. Court of Appeals. Because they didn’t want Obama to appoint people. And then the Fifth Circuit, the very circuit that decided to get rid of the ACA, they held back, McConnell did, all these judges when Obama was there, and then they appointed right-wingers, who, again, undid ACA, which is what the Supreme Court will rule on on November 10. So, this idea that Democrats are packing the court, they’ve already done it. As for ourselves, what I’ve said is, we’re going to win the election…and then everything will be on the table. That’s all. But we’re not going to fall into the trap of debating that now, after what they’ve done and when there are so many substantive issues at stake that the American people care about, health care above all.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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