Democrats push to pack the Supreme Court, abolish filibuster, after leaked abortion draft opinion

Prominent Democrats have demanded radical changes to the United States’ system of government in the wake of the Supreme Court’s leaked abortion draft opinion overturning the Roe v. Wade (1973) abortion precedent, from packing the Court to abolishing the Senate filibuster.

Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed Tuesday that Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was genuine – although the draft dates back to February, and it does not represent the current or final opinion of the court. In the draft, Alito strikes down Roe v. Wade, which struck down state laws across the country, and allows states to again make their own laws on abortion.

“Right-wing extremists have hijacked the Supreme Court of the United States,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted Tuesday. “We must #ExpandTheCourt to rebalance it and defend our basic rights, including the constitutional right to an abortion.”

“A stolen, illegitimate, and far-right Supreme Court majority appears set to destroy the right to abortion, an essential right which protects the health, safety, and freedom of millions of Americans,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., tweeted Monday. “There is no other recourse. We must expand the court.” He later added, “Now is the time to add four more seats to the Court, restore balance, and protect the right to an abortion.”

“I don’t care how the draft leaked. That’s a sideshow,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted Wednesday. “What I care about is that a small number of conservative justices, who lied about their plans to the Senate, intend to deprive millions of women of reproductive care. Codifying Roe isn’t enough. We must expand the court.”- READ MORE