For much of the 2020 campaign season, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has refused to address whether he supports calls from some on the left to “pack” the Supreme Court in response to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett ahead of November’s election.
Now, however, Biden seems to have reversed course. According to Fox News, the former vice president laid out on Thursday his plan for the country’s highest court — but he still steered clear of giving the concrete answer voters have been asking for.
180 days
Biden’s remarks came during an interview with CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Norah O’Donnell.
“If elected, what I will do is I’ll put together a national commission, a bipartisan commission of scholars, constitutional scholars, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives,” Biden told O’Donnell when asked about court-packing, according to Fox.
“I will ask them to, over 180 days, come back to me with recommendations as to how to reform the court system because it’s getting out of whack,” he added.
“It’s not about court-packing”
The Democrat White House hopeful went on to suggest that court-packing may not be Dems’ only option.
“It’s not about court-packing,” he said, as Fox reported. “There’s a number of alternatives that go well beyond packing,” Biden explained. “There’s a number of other things that our constitutional scholars have debated, and I’ve looked to see what recommendations that commission might make.”
Biden even claimed Thursday that “a lot of conservative constitutional scholars” believe judicial reform is needed, according to Fox.
“The last thing we need to do is turn the Supreme Court into just a political football, whoever has the most votes gets whatever they want,” the Democrat insisted in his CBS interview. “Presidents come and go. Supreme Court justices stay for generations.”
Questions remain
Biden’s comments come as Republicans are continuing to push forward with the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Barrett’s nomination to the Senate floor earlier this week without any Democrats present, but even the Associated Press has conceded that the caucus of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “has no realistic chance of stopping Barrett’s advance in the Republican-controlled chamber.”
And it’s probably for the best. After all, we still don’t know what Biden is planning to do with the high court if he wins the White House next month. If anything, his 60 Minutes interview left us with more questions than answers. Take a look for yourself:
WATCH: In an interview with Joe Biden for @60Minutes, @CBSEveningNews‘ @NorahODonnell pressed Biden on his position on so-called “court packing.” It’s a controversial proposal that would add justices to the Supreme Court, from its current nine.
More Sunday on @CBS. pic.twitter.com/iFvatE6ZP6
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) October 22, 2020
The post Biden punts on court-packing again: 'I'll put together a national commission' first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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