Bob McNamara

Upham

Packing the Supreme Court is a hot topic. First thing that comes to mind is that the president cannot change the makeup of that court. Per the constitution the makeup of the Supreme Court is vested in congress not the executive branch. President Roosevelt tried and found that even if the democrats have both the legislative branch and executive there is no certainty that they could change the makeup of the court.

However, let’s look at court packing. During Barack Obama’s years in office Mitch McConnell made it a senate priority to block his court nominees. In doing so he accomplished his goal of having a vast number of judgeships left open when Donald Trump was elected president. President Trump proudly touts that he will appoint more judges than any other president in history but it was Mitch McConnell’s less than honorable act of blocking nominees that allowed him to pack the federal courts.

The ultimate court packing occurred when Leader McConnell blocked Judge Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court. This year President Trump fulfilled his constitutional duty by nominating a qualified Judge Barrett to the court and the senate is doing their constitutional duty in considering that nomination. However, in 2016 when President Obama did his constitutional duty by nominating a qualified Judge Garland Mr. McConnell failed to bring that nomination before the senate and thus, the senate failed to do their constitutional duty.

Senators are hiding behind some notion that you don’t consider court nominees when the president is of one party and the senate is of another party as opposed to today when the same party holds both branches of government. Bull! Please ask Sen Hoeven or Cramer where in the constitution it says that.

In fairness, lest anyone think this is a republican bash, let me assure you I fully believe the democrats would be doing the very same thing. However, that is something I surmise while Mr. McConnell’s action is a factual failure to fulfill the duty of the senate. There is no doubt he has made a considerable effort to ‘pack the court’.

The question of manipulating the judiciary is but one issue. The real issue is that we have two parties that want the power at any cost. It is the biggest threat to our country. Having watched the hatred and treatment of the last four years I have to believe retribution will be brutal should the democrats gain both the senate and the presidency. If so it will be deserved but also will continue to harm our country.

Until we vote for people who care more about the country than they do about themselves and their party the people will lose.