For Immediate Release

STATEMENT FROM AARON BELKIN ON FEDERALIST SOCIETY CO-FOUNDER STEVEN CALABRESI’S SUDDEN SUPPORT FOR TERM LIMITS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 23, 2019) —Federalist Society co-chair Steven Calabresi’s sudden embrace of Supreme Court term limits is a classic wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing maneuver: Under the guise of “reform,” Calabresi’s proposal would solidify what may soon be a 6-3 conservative Court majority for decades to come by deflating calls for Court expansion. If Senate Republicans’ hypocrisy in violating the so-called McConnell Rule is not enough proof that conservatives’ only principle about the Court is partisan power, consider that Calabresi himself proposed conservative Court packing in 2017.

Republicans have already shown themselves willing to pack courts at the state supreme court level in Arizona and Georgia, and their theft of the U.S..Supreme Court is part of a comprehensive strategy to enshrine minority rule through voter suppression, gerrymandering, union busting, and dark money.

Court expansion is the only proportionate and legitimate response to the illegitimate Republican power grab, and the only judicial reform option that gives the next Congress and administration a fighting chance to restore democracy. Calabresi’s cynical call for term limits indicates that the momentum for Court expansion is making a difference.

Take Back the Court raises awareness about the urgent need to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court to address the theft of the court by Senator Mitch McConnell during the Obama Administration. Without adding seats, Congress will not be able to restore the right to vote, ensure reproductive freedom, protect workers, halt our climate emergency, or pass new legislation. Court expansion, which can be accomplished without a constitutional amendment, is the only reform that enables the un-rigging of the system and the restoration of democracy. Learn more at https://www.takebackthecourt.today.