Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, said he would toss out a half-dozen members of the U.S. Supreme Court if given the chance — including a couple of justices nominated to the bench by Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
The recent 5-4 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage and 6-3 ruling in favor of Obamacare subsidies have sparked a conservative backlash against the Supreme Court, including from Mr. Jindal, who said the court appears to be more interested in following public opinion polls than abiding by the Constitution.
Since announcing his candidacy in June, the 44-year-old has suggested that the nation could save some money by shuttering the court.
“Hillary Clinton didn’t like that answer,” Mr. Jindal said Friday at the RedState Gathering in Atlanta, sparking applause from attendees. “She thought that was extreme, so I have a compromise: instead of getting rid of the entire Supreme Court what if we got rid of about two-thirds of the Supreme Court.
“I mean there are three justices that got it right,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind keeping [Samuel] Alito, [Clarence] Thomas and [Antonio] Scalia. It is the other six I wouldn’t mind getting rid of.”
The six members he would remove include Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., nominated by Mr. Bush, and Anthony M. Kennedy, nominated by Mr. Reagan.
Justices Roberts and Kennedy ruled in favor of the Obamacare subsidies. Justice Kennedy also supported the same-sex marriage ruling.
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