Evangelical leader Franklin Graham has harshly criticized a proposal to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court, and suggested it would pave the way for "socialistic" legislation.
Graham, who is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, took to Twitter on Saturday to decry the idea of court expansion and criticize those backing it.
A group of Democrats led by Representative Jerry Nadler of New York and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts announced a bill to add four more justices to the nation's highest court on Thursday. Representatives Hank Johnson of Georgia and Mondaire Jones of New York are co-sponsors.
"These are dangerous days for our nation. Liberal progressives want to pack the Supreme Court," Graham said.
"They want to be able to pass every piece of socialistic, agenda-driven legislation they can dream up to transform this country into a godless, secular society."
"Even the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was against packing the court. Pray for our leaders in Congress and for our nation," he added.
Ginsburg expressed opposition to adding members to the Supreme Court during an interview in 2019. Her remarks have recently been cited by opponents of expansion.
"Nine seems to be a good number. It's been that way for a long time," she told NPR. "I think it was a bad idea when President Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the court."
These are dangerous days for our nation. Liberal progressives want to pack the Supreme Court. They want to be able to pass every piece of socialistic, agenda-driven legislation they can dream up to transform this country into a godless, secular society. https://t.co/5J1umHVbeT
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 17, 2021
President Franklin D. Roosevelt made an unsuccessful attempt to increase the number of Supreme Court justices in 1937. At the time, the court had made a series of rulings striking down key parts of Roosevelt's New Deal legislation.
The group of Democrats bringing forward the proposal unveiled the Judiciary Act of 2021 outside the Supreme Court building. But the bill appears dead on arrival, after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she had "no plan to bring it to the floor."
"We are not packing the Supreme Court, we are unpacking it," Nadler said.
"We are here today because the United States Supreme Court is broken. It is out of balance, and it needs to be fixed," Markey said. "Too many Americans view our highest court in the land as a partisan, political institution, not our impartial, judicial branch of government."
Supreme Court reform has become a major topic for some Democrats frustrated with Republicans' recent actions regarding the court, particularly then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to hold hearings for former President Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland in 2016.
Democrats were also unhappy when Republicans confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the court last October—just days before the presidential election on November 3.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
