Steve Kelley for April 16, 2021

Because packing the courts is only sexy when Moscow Mitch does it.

Nancy Pelosi knows the votes are not there for expanding the Supreme Court, so it is off the table for now.

But for Steve Kelley, who knows better, to use the term court “packing” shows what a dishonest hypocrite he is.

Court “packing” is manipulation of the seats for political reasons.

That train left the station when McConnell obstructed a moderate Obama nominee (who had been suggested previously by Republicans) for almost a year, and then rushed through a Trump nominee in a matter of a few weeks after voting for the next administration had already begun.

The Republicans were willing to CHANGE THE NUMBER OF JUDGES from nine to eight for almost a year for political reasons, and now whine that Democrats want to balance that with a reasonable, proportional response.

The number of seats on the Supreme Court is set by Congress. It is not in the Constitution.

The original Supreme Court had SIX seats.

In 1801 the Congress reduced it to an odd number, 5.

In 1807 the Congress increased it to 7

In 1837 Congress increased it to 9

In 1863 Congress increased it to 10

In 1866 Congress reduced it to 7 to block Andrew Johnson from making appointments

In 1869 Congress increased it back to 9

From 1789 to 1869 — 80 years — the number of judges changed six times. In the years from 1869 to present — 151 years — the number has not changed at all, even though the U.S. population has more than octupled from 38,500,000 in the 1870 census, to 330,000,000 today, over that same 151-year period.

For many years, when there were nine federal judicial circuit districts, it made sense to have nine Supreme Court justices, each responsible for the oversight and emergency hearings from one circuit. Today there are thirteen circuits (eleven numbered circuits plus D.C. and a separate Federal appeals court), so that is another reason that adding the specific number of four to the Court makes sense.

^ Ha! “Power grab”! Like disenfranchising Georgia voters!

I’d say you’re a hoot, TPG, if your mind wasn’t so harmful.

Conserves are afraid they will lose their religious grip on the court and fail at making the US a theocracy.

I wonder if skelley knows that there’s nothing in the constitution specifying the number of Supreme justices. And if he knows that, though the number has been nine for quite some time, there have been fewer AND more justices at various times.

Two of the latest Supreme Court nominees should be removed for lying at their confirmation hearings.

Most of the other judges Trump nominated should be removed for being unqualified and incompetent.

Steve- you’ve got to be kidding. After the GOP refused to seat a judge during Obama’s last year in office, then rammed through two Trump nominees and finally, breaching their own precedent seat a third judge in Trump’s last year. Yeah, the dems are the corrupt ones.

It’s interesting that no one in Georgia seems the least bit concerned about the changes.

Yes, because the way to endure justice is to limit democracy.

What is better, SKelley? A SCOTUS with one single judge? Or three? Is five better? How about nine? If nine is ok, wouldn’t thirteen be acceptable?

The more voices on our bench, the better served we are. SKelley just wants one, single CONSERVATIVE voice.

You really have to wonder how the brain is wired for cartoonist like Kelley. For four years trump and Moscow-Mitch packed every federal court with judges that were not qualified to adjudicate a pie-eating contest, let alone, real criminal or constitutional cases.

The term ‘hypocrite’ is sadly insufficient.

When Trump (and McConnell) packed the court so it would be conservative for the next 40 years the GQP was happy. Now they use the term “pack” as if were a 4 letter curse word because a majority of Americans voted out the conservative court packer in chief and took away McConnell’s power in the Senate. Hypocrites of the highest order.

How ignorant or stupid can these GQP ‘toonists be? After 4 years of serious court packing I’m amazed there are any seats left to fill. Gaslighting at it’s best here.

It is difficult to find anything lower than McConnell, and it is disgusting that Kelley is right down there with him.

Packing the courts happened quite a bit while the republicans ran the show, guess Steve and his cartoon buddies didn’t notice.

The hypocrisy of the Right is stunning. You guys packed the court, why are you outraged that the other side wants to do it?

His Boring date? The Woman that Trump Raped?

But it was alright when Moscow Mitch did it, right?

Kelley once again misses the mark. I’ll just mention Merrick Garland and Amy (husbands rule) Barrett.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/19/what-mcconnell-said-merrick-garland-vs-after-ginsburgs-death/5837543002/

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/26/927640619/senate-confirms-amy-coney-barrett-to-the-supreme-court

Opinion: Respectfully, Justice Breyer, court enlargers aren’t the problem.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/respectfully-justice-breyer-court-enlargers-arent-the-problem/2021/04/10/80dfec78-9972-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html

Let me say at the beginning that I’m not in favor of raising the number of justices on the high court beyond the nine it has. The the Repubs have bent every rule in order to get their appointees confirmed, I’m not convinced the appointees are bad for the nation. I’ve seen so called liberal justices make conservative decisions and I’ve already seen some of the so called conservative justices make liberal decisions. These men and women are professional justices who make decisions about the cases brought before them based on their great knowledge of law and time tested good sense. We liberals will just have to wait until a “conservative” seat opens up to fill it with our own choice.

The GOP left HUNDREDS of judgeships vacant when Obama was President, ENTIRELY so those seats couldn’t be filled by a Democrat, but could ONLY be filled by a Republican. How is that NOT court-packing?

Not to mention deciding that we should only have EIGHT Supreme Court judges for a YEAR.

“The president told me several times he’s going to name a moderate [to fill the court vacancy], but I don’t believe him. [Obama] could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man. He probably won’t do that." – Orrin Hatch. But when it came to it, Hatch voted to not even have a HEARING for a candidate he called a “consensus nominee.”

Republicans have NO credibility to complain about “court packing.”

The Supreme Court is just one more branch of government that Kelley does not understand.

[ Appears that his education at Trump U. didn’t prepare him for the real world. ]

If only I didn’t remember the GOP court packing from so few years ago….

Attitudes like those of Gaetz and Epstein and Trump seem to dominate the GQP minds today…

This is not going anywhere, probably, Steve. FDR found that out.

we need a different way of placing judges on the court. . .. one with a random element as was the case with our first government, the articles of confederation

Seriously??!!?! Wonder what it’s like to live in your own fantasized reality. Did the word come down from above to start the herd complaining about “court packing”?

Excuse me, but the last time I looked, the Supreme Court had already been packed, as have dozens of inferior courts.

And for those who relish a cheap laugh, comparing Mitch McConnell’s justifications for refusing to move on Merrick Garlandi’s nomination with those for confirming Amy Coney Barrett’s an hour after she was nominated and an hour before the end of Trump’s term of office are more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

I’d be surprised if that unfortunate, blindfolded woman didn’t need years of therapy after what the Republicans did to her. (That’s probably why she carries that sword – in case they come back into power – Heaven forbid)

Denying Garland a hearing upon his nomination … actions have consequences.

I would LOVE to pack the court. Time to play hardball with the GQP. They’ve been playing hardball all along, and we’ve been trying to play nice.

Oh that’s rich. Lets see: 1. refused to hold hearings for Garland nomination for 11-13 months claiming the people should decide at the 2016 election then 2. rushed through Barrett nomination 3 weeks prior to 2020 election claiming the people already decided in 2016. Yeah looks like it was sleazy elephants that have been cheating on her for years.

I have a better idea. Reduce the SC to five, and dismiss the last two hired, with our best wishes.

Moscow Mitch broke the Senate with his scheme to pack SCOTUS with right wing ideologues. Dems should ignore the echo chamber’s manufactured outrage and do what is best for the country. Republicans exist only to sabotage the working of government…bipartisanship is dead.

Way to project Mike. I guess your long term memory stops at last night.