Al Franken responded to John Roberts complaining about SCOTUS’s legitimacy being questioned by reminding everyone that Republicans stole two seats.
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CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Franken, “Confidence in the supreme court is at all-time low. The chief justice can say what he wants, seems to be bristling at this criticism. But it appears to be, based on what Vice President Kamala Harris was saying, there appears to be wind at the backs of the Democrats because of that decision that was overturned. Your thoughts?
Franken answered, “I disagree with what the chief justice said, the legitimacy of the court was undermined when they wouldn’t take up Merrick Garland, and McConnell said it was because it was an election year, and Lindsey Graham pledged that if a vacancy came open during an election year in ’20 that he wouldn’t vote for — they wouldn’t take up a nominee. They’ve stolen two seats. The one that Merrick Garland wasn’t given a hearing for. And the one that Coney Barrett, where she was seated a week before the election. That destroyed the legitimacy of the court.”
The court has not been legitimate since Mitch McConnell blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination. Everything that happened after McConnell’s actions sprung from the original act of not allowing Garland’s nomination to be taken up by the Senate.
If the Supreme Court isn’t a motivating issue for Republicans, maybe Hillary Clinton wins Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and there are no Trump nominees to the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court lost legitimacy before Trump took office. The person who destroyed the credibility of the institution was Mitch McConnell.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association