Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer on Sunday warned Democrats to jettison the idea of court-packing, saying it would destroy the public’s trust in the judicial branch.
Justice Breyer, a member of the court’s liberal wing, issued the warning during an interview with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”
“If one party could do it, I guess another party could do it,” he said. “It seems to me you start changing all these things around and people will lose trust in the court.”
The comments come as Democrats have renewed calls for expanding the nation’s highest court to overcome its ascendant conservative majority. Democrats, in particular, say that a wave of new pro-life laws emanating from conservative states is a call to action.
“Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples’ bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat. “This shouldn’t be a difficult decision.”
Some, like Sen. Amy Klobuchar, have even called on the 83-year-old Justice Breyer to retire while Democrats still have control of Congress and the White House.
“If he is seriously considering retirement — and he has said he would do it based on not only his own health, but also the future of the court — if this decision doesn’t cry out for that, I don’t know what does,” said Ms. Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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