Maxwell School News and Commentary
Bybee Speaks With Agence France Presse About US Supreme Court Reform
August 1, 2024
Agence France Presse
The U.S. Supreme Court has become a political flashpoint in recent years, triggering growing calls for reform. President Joe Biden unveiled proposals Monday to reform the nine-member court, which has reeled sharply to the right with the nomination of three conservative justices by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
Wielding a 6-3 majority, conservatives have stripped the nationwide right to abortion, weakened environmental protections and federal agencies, and granted Trump's claim that an ex-president has broad immunity from prosecution.
Keith Bybee, professor of political science, says 6-3 rulings such as the immunity decision make the Court appear more partisan in its decision-making.
“But also, this majority is quite emboldened,” he says, rendering decisions that are “quite sweeping and overturn decades-old precedents” such as in the case of abortion.
“Those two factors together prompted a lot of concern among the Democratic Party about the power of the Court,” Bybee says.
Read more in the Agence France Presse article, “Supreme Court reforms a long shot in current US political environment.”
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