Politico | Joe Biden signs executive order on Supreme Court reform commission
- The US president first floated the idea after the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat was quickly filled by Amy Coney Barrett, giving the court a 6-3 conservative majority
- Biden has said he’s not a fan of court-packing – adding additional seats to the Supreme Court to alter its ideological balance
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nick Niedzwiadek on politico.com on April 9, 2021.
Biden first floated the idea of such a commission last fall on the campaign trail following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – whose seat on the high court was quickly filled by Amy Coney Barrett, installing a 6-3 majority of justices nominated by Republican presidents.
Ginsburg’s death in September, which allowed former president Donald Trump to make his third Supreme Court appointment in four years, sparked renewed interest in liberal circles about shaking up the court system in substantial ways.
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Biden himself has said he’s “not a fan” of so-called court-packing – adding additional seats to the Supreme Court to alter its ideological balance – and held up the commission as a more conscientious approach to studying the issue.
“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,” Biden told 60 Minutes in October. “Presidents come and go. Supreme Court justices stay for generations.”