President Joe Biden will stand aside as Democrats in Congress debate a bill that proposes adding four seats to the Supreme Court, ending the bench’s conservative majority.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say on Thursday whether Biden was frustrated with a group of his Democratic colleagues for introducing the measure before his court commission had started compiling its report on federal judicial reform.
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“He certainly understands that members of Congress have a range of views, and they’re going to propose legislation. He may or may not support it,” Psaki told reporters of the 36-year Senate veteran.
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Psaki also sidestepped a question on whether Biden was comfortable with Democrats, such as Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, pushing for the Senate filibuster rules to be overhauled so lawmakers can fill a larger Supreme Court with justices of similar political persuasions.
“The president believes in freedom of speech and that members can come forward and share their points of views on a range of issues, including the future of the courts. He has his own view,” she said.
Markey, along with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and Reps. Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones, rolled out the Judiciary Act of 2021 on Thursday. The bill proposes expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices, which could give liberals a 7-6 majority.
“We’re not packing it. We’re unpacking it,” Nadler said during a press conference on the court’s front steps.
The measure is unlikely to gain traction in Congress, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicating she would prefer to wait for the outcome of Biden’s commission.
“I have no plans to bring it to the floor,” she said.
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Biden signed an executive order last week creating the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The bipartisan body has 180 days from the date of its first public meeting with experts to report its debate of potential reforms. Some of the changes that will be discussed include the size of the court and whether term limits should be implemented.
