Thread by @bansisharma

1. SCOTUS: Unpacked and Undivided

There is an extraordinary litany of 6 unanimous decisions in 2 weeks which could in part reflect an implied message from the justices that this is a court that is not nearly as rigid and divided as suggested by Democratic members and activists.

2. Recently, Breyer warned against any move to expand the Supreme Court. He also rejected the characterization of the current Court as “conservative” or ideologically rigid.
jonathanturley.org/2021/06/01/unp…

3. Breyer was swiftly denounced by figures like cable news host Mehdi Hasan who called called for his retirement. Demand Justice, a liberal group calling for court packing, had a billboard truck the next day in the streets of DC warning “Breyer, retire. Don’t risk your legacy.”

4. Other justices have denounced such court packing schemes. Shortly before she died, Ruth Bader Ginsburg publicly warned against the move: “If anything would make the court look partisan, it would be that."

5. Nevertheless, Democratic members have continued to call the Court, to use Joe Biden’s words, “out of whack” due to the conservative majority.

6. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and more recently Sen. Richard Blumenthal have warned conservative justices of dire consequences for the Court if they did not rule with their liberal colleagues on high-profile cases expected in the next two weeks.

7. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. not only endorsed the court-packing scheme but went even further to question why we should listen to just nine people on such important questions. AOC intoned: “How much does the current structure benefit us? And I don’t think it does.”

8. The scheduling of these unanimous opinions may be the Court clearing its throat on these campaigns and threats. The litany of unanimous rulings amplifies the fact that most cases are resolved with compromise and different alignments of the justices.

9. There are always “big ticket” cases that produce more ideological divisions but they are the exception rather than the rule for the Court.

10. These are honest ideological differences and we want the justices to be consistent on their underlying principles. However, most of the work of the Court remains less ideologically driven on issues ranging from statutory interpretation to evidentiary rules.

11. There remains a bright-line preventing justices from speaking on political issues or controversies, though this rule is sometimes honored in the breach.

12. However, there are times when the justices speak loudest through their opinions, particularly when they speak with one voice.

13. In these cases, the justices are discussing different subjects but they clearly want the public to see them speaking as one. One court. Unpacked and undivided.

The End

P.S. Liberals do not think of liberal justices on the Supreme Court as thoughtful jurists. They consider them their bitches who should always do liberals' bidding. See tweet#3 above for context.