Staff Reports
Justice Neil Gorsuch recently provided a timely warning to President Joe Biden regarding his plans to reform the Supreme Court. In a conversation that could easily have been a game of political dodgeball, Gorsuch advised the president to tread carefully, highlighting the delicate balance that the judiciary must maintain, especially during an election year. Although he skillfully sidestepped getting drawn into political quarrels, his message was clear: keep the hands off the independent judiciary.
In a discussion with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Gorsuch kicked off his remarks by emphasizing the essential nature of maintaining a judiciary that isn’t beholden to political whims. He didn’t dive headfirst into Biden’s proposals. Instead, he made it known that a fair hearing under the law should be an inviolable right, even when opinions are less than favorable. This suggestion of “not getting political” might just be the most bracing advice President Biden has received in a while.
Justice Gorsuch warns Biden to ‘be careful’ with Supreme Court reform plans https://t.co/vWi61iiprS
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 5, 2024
Among Biden’s “bold” reforms is a constitutional amendment proclaiming that no one, including a former president, is above the law. Almost laughably, this presumes there’s a necessity for such a declaration as if past presidential misconduct wasn’t already punished outside of courtrooms. Then there’s the proposal for term limits on Supreme Court justices, which seems like little more than a desperate attempt by Democrats to level the playing field as they watch their influence dwindle under a 6-3 conservative majority in the Court. There’s also talk of imposing a “binding” code of conduct for the Justices, which reeks of heavy-handedness bent on curbing the independence that the judicial branch is meant to embody.
The flip side is that many Democrats seem to view the Court as their personal political punching bag, arguing that conservative justices like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are perpetuating a democracy on life support. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are quick to rebut this narrative, asserting that Democrats’ cries for reform are simply a reaction to their current powerlessness. If the tables were turned and the situation was reversed, one can only imagine the howls of “partisan tyranny” coming from the left.
As an interesting side note, Gorsuch’s own experiences inform his viewpoints. Appointed by President Trump in 2017, he occupies a crucial spot among the conservative justices. In an interview that also spotlighted his forthcoming book, “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” Gorsuch laments the swamp of excessive regulations drowning ordinary Americans. His candid remarks illustrate a keen understanding of how many people feel crushed under the sheer weight of a legal structure that seems determined to regulate every aspect of life.
In sum, Justice Gorsuch serves as a reminder that any effort to politicize the judiciary further could lead to dire consequences for democracy itself. As he suggested with his cautionary advice, a poison pill of judicial reform from the Oval Office might send shockwaves through the very foundation of justice in America. Let’s hope those in power truly take heed rather than use the occasion as a launchpad for more divisive politics.
