Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Democrats are weighing proposals to expand the Supreme Court, impose term limits and adopt new ethics rules after the court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with ending TPS protections for Syrians and Haitians.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Friday that Democrats are discussing proposals to expand the Supreme Court and impose term limits following a ruling that allowed the Trump administration to continue its effort to end Temporary Protected Status for Syrians and Haitians.
Jayapal, a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the progressive group of House Democrats known as the Squad, made the comments during an appearance on MS Now.
Her remarks came one day after the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision allowing the Trump administration to move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status for Syrians and Haitians while litigation continues.
Jayapal criticized the ruling, saying it supported the administration’s deportation agenda and would have broader effects beyond immigration policy.
“What the Supreme Court has done yesterday is, again, rubber stamp a mass deportation agenda, but also to your economic point, made it very clear to Americans across this country why this is bad for America,” Jayapal said. “That is what’s going to happen. We’re going to see the economic consequences very soon, on top of the moral consequences.”
During the interview, Jayapal was asked whether Democrats are discussing her previous proposal to expand the Supreme Court from nine seats to 13.
“Absolutely it is. Absolutely,” Jayapal said.
Jayapal said changes are needed because, in her view, the court has failed to act independently and consistently in interpreting the law.
“I mean, look, we need a Supreme Court that is not beholden to corporate interests to any president, but is actually willing to interpret the law and not reinterpret it and revisit settled decisions,” she said.
“And this court has shown over and over again that it is incapable of doing that,” Jayapal added.
Jayapal said Democrats should pursue several changes to the court, including expansion, term limits and stronger ethics requirements.
“We need to expand the court. We need term limits, and we need an ethics and transparency standard that matches other courts,” Jayapal said.
She pointed to legislation she introduced with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., focused on Supreme Court ethics and transparency.
“That’s why [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass.] and I have introduced that bill around ethics and transparency. All of that needs to happen, and I think the Supreme Court is making it incredibly clear that we need to make those changes,” Jayapal said.
The comments reflect renewed Democratic criticism of the Supreme Court after its TPS ruling and show that proposals to expand the court remain under discussion among some party members.
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