President Trump ruled out the idea of expanding the nine-member Supreme Court, criticizing Democrats in a preview of a likely attack for the 2020 election.
WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out the idea of expanding the nine-member U. S. Supreme Court, using a question about « court packing » to criticize Democrats in a preview of a likely attack line for the 2020 election.
Trump said he « wouldn’t entertain that, » when asked about expanding the size of the court at a news conference.
« The only reason they’re doing that is they want to try to catch up, so if they can’t catch up through the ballot box by winning an election they want to try doing it in a different way, » the Republican president added, referring to Democrats.
Trump has appointed conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch to the court since taking office in 2017, cementing its 5-4 conservative majority. Supreme Court justices are appointed for lifetime terms, and both his appointees potentially could serve for decades.
