Schumer signals Supreme Court blitz is coming if Democrats win big in November

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said there are plans to roll out major overhauls to the Supreme Court if Democrats win control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Calls for implementing stricter rules for the Supreme Court from the Left have escalated in recent years, as complaints about alleged corruption and ethical lapses have plagued Republican-appointed justices.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have been targeted by campaigns calling into question their relationships with GOP megadonors and their wives’ political involvement.

“The Supreme Court has become a morass, both ethically and substantively,” Schumer told NBC News. “We’re going to look at everything. There are lots of proposals.”

Without the support of Republicans, Democrats’ plans to implement an enforceable ethics code mandating justices disclose all gifts and financial contributions, as well as strict rules for recusing themselves from cases, are almost impossible to implement.

Schumer said Democrats also plan to pursue President Joe Biden’s stated goal of instituting 18-year term limits for justices, as well as an end to “forum shopping,” a practice in which litigants choose to have their cases heard before friendly judges in specific divisions.

The majority leader introduced a bill on Thursday called the “No Kings Act” to roll back the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. If successful, this would mean that a president would not be immune from prosecution for “official acts.”

Republicans see Schumer and Biden’s demands as a way to play offense, juicing Democratic excitement in an election year and undermining the Republican-appointed majority. 

“They [Republicans] spent three decades trying to take over the courts,” Schumer said. “They’ve achieved it.”

Even with control of the White House and both chambers, Schumer and Democrats would have to blow up the filibuster without a supermajority of 60 votes. Though that prospect may be closer to reality, as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (I-WV) were two members of Schumer’s caucus who refused to change the rule and are not running for reelection.