No rotating judges

[Lheurch]

No packing the court. Do people not realize if Democrats can do something so can Republicans? I can see Trump announcing four current justices will now be serving on a lower court. Stop giving him ideas!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He's right that the Constitution wouldn't prevent it, but it seems like

it would create more problems than it would solve. It could be set up so the rotation would be automatic and therefore not political, but it would end up creating a lot of unnecessary chaos.

[standingtall]

2. We could and should pack the supreme court

if we ever get back the Presidency,senate and congress. We could make it very hard for republicans to undo it by making every inhabited U.S. territory a State. The territories are mostly minority demographics and would mostly vote for Democrats. That would get us around 10 to 12 new Democratic Senators and whoever controls the Senate controls the supreme court, but I do think rotating judges is a bad idea.

[Lheurch]

3. What stops Trump from packing the court tomorrow?

These things have to stop escalating. The statehood idea is interesting, but citizens living there do not pay federal income taxes today. It would be a radical change but maybe it could be done IF those populations voted on it. I would not want to force statehood on any of them. I know 97% of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood in the last referendum, but I am not sure what the percentage is in the other territories.

[standingtall]

6. What stops Trump from packing the court tomorrow is the legislative filibuster

which McConnell will not get rid of, because he knows in the the long run it would favor Democrats. We get back the Presidency,senate and congress and we could repeal the legislative filibuster and the repeal the 1860s law that limits supreme court justices to 9 and add as many as we want to.

I don't know what percentage of the territories are currently in favor of Statehood, but I think if we put the effort in we could convince them.

[Lheurch]

8. And within a generation

The court will have 100 members. If we can do it, they can do it.

[standingtall]

18. Not if they can't win the Senate

and if all inhabited U.S. territories become states it will be very hard for them to ever have the majority again.

[tritsofme]

4. What does this even mean? Supreme Court justices and federal judges serve for life.

A new round of Senate confirmation would be required for anyone to “rotate”

[Lheurch]

7. Maybe

But now that you just need 51 votes...

[tritsofme]

9. The justices you want to "rotate" off would have to resign...or die.

[Lheurch]

10. According to what law/document?

n/t

[tritsofme]

12. Huh? Supreme Court justices and federal judges serve lifetime terms.

The only way for their term to end is through death, resignation, or upon impeachment and conviction.

This is grade school civics.

[Lheurch]

13. I actually agree with you

But Bernie implied this was not so Constitutionally. He said he would be able to rotate active justices on and off SCOTUS. If that were true, nothing would stop Trump from doing it. I had a frightening image of the one or two gears in his brain starting to turn after Bernie said it.

[tritsofme]

14. I don't know what the heck he was talking about.

[Lheurch]

15. I do not either

and I really hope he never mentions it again. If there is some loophole there, I know four justices that will be on traffic court by the end of the year.

[tritsofme]

16. There's no loophole. This would require a constitutional amendment.

Bernie is just wrong, not the first time.

[Lheurch]

17. Good

We agree.

[EveHammond13]

5. suggest read Time to Fight Dirty by David M Faris

talks about other ways to fix this problem

[Lheurch]

11. Interesting

I will check it out, thanks!

[StevieM]

19. The Republicans don't need to do it. They have already stolen Merrick Garland's seat.

So either way, they win.

And if we had won the election and put Merrick Garland on the court you can be sure the all the 2020 GOP candidates would be talking about their plans to alter the court right now.