Sen. Chris Coons Signals Support for Expanding the Supreme Court
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) says that he and his Democratic colleagues are “angry” at Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for “racing” through Judge Amy Coney Barrett‘s confirmation hearings.
Coons was asked during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday if he would support expanding the number of seats on the Supreme Court if Barrett is confirmed and Democrats win the White House and control of the Senate.
“Like Joe Biden, I’m not a fan of expanding the court, but we have a few weeks here to see whether there are four Republicans who will step back from this precipice,” Coons said.
Coons claimed that President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to the Supreme Court so that there would be a majority of justices willing to strike down the Affordable Care Act.
He also described Barrett as an “extreme” and “unqualified” nominee.
“[Republicans are] doing this to get someone on the court just in time, a week after the election, to take away critical health care protections from a majority of Americans, we need to focus on that,” he charged.
Coons added, “If we happen to be in the fact pattern where we have a President Biden we’ll have to look at what the right steps are to rebalance our federal judiciary.”
Watch the video below:
"If we happen to be in the fact pattern where we have a President Biden, we'll have to look at what the right steps are to rebalance our federal judiciary," Democratic Sen. Chris Coons says while he's "not a fan" of expanding the Supreme Court, he is open to it #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/qvcjd4LxZ5
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) October 18, 2020
Host Jake Tapper asked Coons specifically on whether or not he would be open to expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court.
“Yes,” Coons said.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been reluctant to answer whether or not he would support expanding the Supreme Court.
During a town hall event on ABC News on Thursday, Biden said, “I’m not a fan. It depends on how [Barrett’s confirmation process] turns out. Not if we win. But how it’s handled.”
When asked if he would reveal his position before election day, Biden said, “Yes … depending on how they handle this.”
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