Demand Justice Statement on End of Supreme Court Term

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2023

CONTACT: [email protected]

DEMAND JUSTICE STATEMENT ON END OF SUPREME COURT TERM

WASHINGTON, DC— Following the end of the Supreme Court term, Demand Justice Executive Director Brian Fallon issued the following statement: 

“Every year at the end of another disastrous Supreme Court term, we typically see one of two reactions from leaders in Washington. On the one hand, certain legal experts are apt to squint to find so-called silver linings in the Court’s decisions to suggest all is not lost, or they will emphasize one or two so-called moderate decisions from the term to suggest the Court is not as extreme as we think and can still be persuaded from time to time. On the other hand, Democratic party officials make no bones about the fact that the Court is a disaster for our rights and freedoms, but suggest the solution can simply be found in the next election, by channeling the outrage into the registration of more voters.

“Neither of these is quite right.

“We should absolutely contest every legal battle, no matter how long the odds may be, and Democrats should absolutely harness the Court’s historic unpopularity to win future elections. But without a plan for structural reform to the Court, no litigation strategy is clever enough and no electoral win will be big enough to solve the existential crisis we face. As we saw in the student debt crisis today, it is not enough to win elections and it is not enough to be right on the law when your case is decided by justices like these.

“A recent study showed that absent Court reform, a majority closely resembling the current one will control the Court until 2065. This should be a wake up call: the only thing that can ensure we do not face the same crisis every June for the next 40-some years is Democrats embracing structural reform to the Court. Fortunately, there is a growing coalition calling for reforms, with key organizations like Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Color Of Change, and National Action Network all stepping out in recent weeks. The sooner all Democrats join this growing movement calling for reforms to rebalance the Court, the more likely we will be to avoid awful days like this one.”

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