FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2023
Contact: Leila Miller | press@indivisible.org
Alexa Barrett | alexa@takebackthecourt.today
Danielle Strasburger | press@populardemocracy.org
Monica Garcia | press@standupamerica.com
Mika Hyer | mhyer@lcv.org
Washington, DC — Today, the Unrig the Courts Coalition, which is dedicated to expanding the size of the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices, issued the following statement:
“Our coalition applauds Senator Ed Markey and Representatives Jerry Nadler, Hank Johnson, and Adam Schiff for reintroducing the Judiciary Act of 2023, a crucial piece of legislation that would restore balance to our current out-of-control Supreme Court by increasing the number of justices from 9 to 13.
“The current Court is actively attacking our constitutional rights and as a result faces an ongoing – and growing – legitimacy crisis. In just the last two years, the six far-right conservatives on the Court have continued to gut what remains of the Voting Rights Act, dismantled gun violence prevention laws nationwide, attacked and undermined unions and workers’ rights, hamstrung EPA’s efforts to fight climate change, and, most radically, overturned Roe v. Wade, devastating personal health and abortion access across the country.
“That’s bad enough. But when the justices aren’t busy stripping us of our constitutional rights, they’re taking lavish vacations paid for by GOP donors, refusing to recuse themselves from cases involving their spouse’s involvement in the January 6 insurrection, engaging in multi-million dollar real estate deals with attorneys with business pending before the Court, and reportedly leaking Supreme Court opinions to right-wing anti-abortion activists.
“Enough is enough. It’s time for leaders in Congress to restore balance to this out-of-control, lawless Supreme Court and its 6-3 partisan supermajority. We urge all House and Senate Democrats to cosponsor this legislation and show the American people that they are fighting back against a lawless Supreme Court and working towards restoring our faith in the judiciary.”
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About the Unrig the Courts Coalition
The Unrig the Courts coalition is a collection of progressive organizations, including Indivisible, Take Back the Court Action Fund, Center for Popular Democracy, Stand Up America, Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Humanist Association, the League of Conservation Voters, P Street, and more. The coalition is dedicated to restoring balance to the federal courts through a series of judicial reforms, most importantly Supreme Court expansion.