Progressive politicians, including the far-left members of the “Squad,” immediately cried out for an expanded Supreme Court after the GOP-led Senate voted to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
The Senate voted to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday evening, 52-48. The historic vote makes Barrett the third Trump-appointed judge to join the highest court in the land. Democrats immediately unleashed a host of threats to pack the court, should they win the White House and Senate.
“We are going to take back the White House & Senate next week with a resounding mandate from the people to fight back against Trump’s illegitimately stacked judiciary,” Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) said. “We must expand the Court if we’re serious about the transformational change the people are crying out for”:
“Expand the court,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) remarked, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) agreed.
“Remember that Republicans have lost 6 of the last 7 popular votes, but have appointed 6 of the last 9 justices,” she said, adding that expanding the court would “fix this broken system and have the court better represent the values of the American people”:
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who voted against Barrett’s confirmation, said that the GOP has “denied the will of the American people by confirming a Supreme Court justice through an illegitimate process.”
“We won’t forget this,” the vice presidential hopeful added:
Other lawmakers expressed disgust. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “has forever sealed his legacy as the man who broke the US Senate” and vowed that the confirmation “will be remembered and responded to”:
Justice Clarence Thomas subsequently swore Barrett in as a Supreme Court associate justice at a ceremony at the White House Monday evening. At the ceremony, Barrett promised to perform her duties to the best of her abilities and vowed to preserve the United States Constitution.