Former President Donald Trump on Sunday voiced concerns about “unexpected rulings” in the Supreme Court, saying the court has issued rulings unfavorable to the Right “because the nine justices do not want to be packed.”
Throughout Trump’s 2020 election campaign, the former president alleged Democrats would attempt to add more justices to the Supreme Court in an effort to limit the influence of the three conservative-leaning justices he appointed during his time in office, a sentiment he echoed during his remarks before the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday.
“We’re getting some unexpected rulings because the nine justices do not want to be packed. And the Democrats are in a position to pack the court, and they don’t want to be packed,” Trump said.
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While it is unclear which cases Trump was referencing, the court previously rejected his bid to overturn the 2020 general election results, allowed his tax returns to be divulged to a New York prosecutor, and upheld the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, which Trump was eager to dismantle.
The former president said on June 23 that he was left “disappointed” by the six justices leading the conservative majority — despite the fact that he appointed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the high court — after they opted not to resolve several major cases in his favor.
“The Democrats are vicious to the Supreme Court and to Kavanaugh,” Trump said of some Democrats’ calls to expand the Supreme Court and previous threats to impeach Kavanaugh over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Despite the former president claiming disappointment in the Supreme Court, other recent 6-3 decisions by the majority of justices, such as upholding Arizona’s voting law in one case and a decision to toss California’s donor disclosure requirement, have favored the Right.
Many on the Left have suggested expanding the Supreme Court, with Sen. Ed Markey saying Congress “must expand the Supreme Court” following the twin rulings.
President Joe Biden has also formed a Supreme Court commission to discuss the current structure and framework of the justice system, which has led to discussions about court expansion.
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Others in the party have urged caution, with centrist Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema indicating they would not support expanding the court.
Given the Democrats’ slim majority in the Senate, any court expansion measure is likely to fail without both senators’ support.
