Progressive activists demand Congress expand the U.S. Supreme Court from 9 to 13 judges at a march and rally in Brooklyn on Oct. 28, 2023.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Days before Halloween, members of progressive political action groups Rise & Resist, Empire State Indivisible and Indivisible Brooklyn marched from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office in Downtown Brooklyn to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s home on Prospect Park West on Saturday, calling on the Democratic leaders to “unrig” the U.S. Supreme Court.
During the rally, dubbed “SCOTUS is Scary,” the progressive groups called the conservative majority on the bench “out of control” because they overturned Roe v. Wade, gutted the Voting Rights Act, undermined the EPA’s authority to regulate polluters, ended affirmative action in higher education, ruled against student debt relief and allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
The only way to restore and protect constitutional rights and democracy, the groups say, is to expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 judges by passing the Judiciary Act, or H.R. 3422.
Danielle Brecker, co-lead organizer of Empire State Indivisible, said it was important — especially on the first day of early voting — to push Schumer and Jeffries to pass these laws because conservative judges were “harming democracy.”
Brecker explained there were a few bills on the table to overhaul the Supreme Court.
Besides H.R.3422, the Supreme Court Ethics Recusal Act (SCERT) would require the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct for justices and establish a process to investigate judicial misconduct complaints. Justices also would have to disclose gifts, travel, and income they receive, and parties in SCOTUS cases would have to disclose any gift, income, or reimbursement they gave to justices.
Another bill would impose term limits for justices serving on the country’s highest court. The Supreme Court Biennial…
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