FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2023
Press Contacts: Emily Phelps | emily@indivisible.org
Alexa Barrett | alexa@takebackthecourt.today
Monica Garcia | press@standupamerica.com
Tristin Brown | tristin@peoplesparity.org
Bawadden Sayed | bawadden@endcitizensunited.org
Bob Bland | press@populardemocracy.org
Colin Diersing | press@demandjustice.org
Today, in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Nebraska, which egregiously overrules the president’s authority to provide student debt relief for millions of borrowers across the country, the Unrig the Courts coalition issued the following statement:
“The MAGA majority’s decision today is devastating news for millions of Americans with student debt who were on the cusp of relief, thanks to President Biden's forgiveness plan. The timing is ironic: one of the justices who ruled against borrowers, Justice Clarence Thomas, is facing calls to resign in part because he accepted millions of dollars in gifts from wealthy MAGA donor Harlan Crow — including school tuition for one of his family members. Too bad everyday student borrowers don’t have billionaire benefactors to pay off their loans, too.
“The Supreme Court never should have heard this case in the first place. A bedrock principle of our judicial system is that courts should only decide actual cases and controversies, where a party has suffered real harm. Instead, the conservatives relied on a legal doctrine that they invented out of nothing – the ‘major questions’ doctrine – that gives the Court outsized power to weigh in on any policy issue they don’t like even if no one has actually been harmed.
“Because let’s be clear: none of the plaintiffs in this case were harmed by the Biden’s administration’s decision to cancel student debt up to $20,000, but millions of borrowers will be harmed by the Court’s decision — all because the MAGA majority is eager to join the GOP in attacking our social safety net.
“We urge President Biden to continue the current pause on student loan payments implemented during the pandemic, move quickly to identify another legal path to administer student debt relief, and cancel the debt as soon as possible before the Supreme Court has the chance to attack borrowers again. And, most importantly, we urge Congress to acknowledge the Court as the threat it is, conduct rigorous oversight, and move with urgency to support and pass the Judiciary Act, and add four seats to the bench.”
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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, Stand Up America, People’s Parity Project, End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund, Center for Popular Democracy, Demand Justice, and more. The coalition is dedicated to restoring balance to the federal courts through a series of judicial reforms, most importantly Supreme Court expansion.