JASC Statement on Sen. Cruz Hearing on Supreme Court 'Activism'

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 22, 2015- The Justice at Stake Campaign issued the following statement after today's Senate Judiciary committee subcommittee hearing, "With Prejudice: Supreme Court Activism and Possible Solutions, "chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz:

Today's hearing featured an array of proposals for limiting the terms and authority of U.S. Supreme Court justices, most of them in direct contradiction of the founders' intent to insulate justices from political pressure. From Sen. Cruz we get the singularly reckless idea to impose retention elections on justices. But with elections come campaigns, and campaigns cost money. Who would raise money for a Supreme Court justice's campaign, and what would they want in return? And if you can stomach the notion of special interests paying big bucks to put a Supreme Court justice back on the bench (or take her off), try to imagine the spectacle of that justice on the campaign trail. What would her platform be?

Some witnesses who testified today offered up other suggestions, including the notions of state or Congressional override for specific rulings or the imposition of term limits on Supreme Court justices. But let's call these ideas what they are: wholly partisan responses to a pair of rulings, on marriage and healthcare, that some politicians and interest groups simply do not like. That happens in our democracy, but the answer is not to change the rules to make justices accountable to political pressure. That puts us on a dangerous path indeed.

The Justice at Stake Campaign is a nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign working to keep America's courts fair and impartial. JASC educates the public, and workd for reforms to keep politics and special interests out of the courtroom - so judges can protect our Constitution, our rights and the rule of law. For more, go to www.gavelgrab.org.