Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney on Tuesday in an appearance on Hill.TV warned Democrats against court packing, saying the practice could backfire on Democrats during a period of Republican control.
“If we pack the court, guess what happens when Republicans are in control? They pack the court,” Delaney told hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on “Rising.”
“I kind of think these norms actually matter. Right? I think our society and the success of this extraordinary country was based on this notion that there was some respect for basic norms. Court packing goes against that, and it just leads you down this terrible path where each side then does it, and where does it end?” he continued.
A growing number of Democrats, including a handful of 2020 hopefuls, have warmed to the idea of expanding the Supreme Court.
The idea is seen as a response to the growing conservative presence on courts across the country under the Trump administration, as well as a response to Senate Republicans’ refusal to consider former President Obama’s last pick for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland.
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) told Politico last month that they were open to considering the idea of expanding the Supreme Court.
Delaney told Hill.TV that instead he was more open to other reforms like term limits on courts.
“I’m for reforms like term limits, for example. I think that could be a really great discussion for us to be having,” he said. “That’s less like partisan warfare.”
— Julia Manchester
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