Republican Governors Oppose Biden’s Partisan Efforts to Pack the Court

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 20 Republican governors, led by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, issued a joint letter to President Joe Biden opposing any efforts to pack the U.S. Supreme Court. The governors highlight how any attempt to increase the number of Justices on the court for partisan gain will manipulate the Court’s decisions.

The Supreme Court is essential to the preservation of our democracy and in the absence of understanding from the Biden administration, Governors are stepping up to assume a key role in ensuring that the nation’s highest court remains independent and free from political pressure and partisan power grabs.

Signatories to the letter include Governors Kay Ivey (AL), Doug Ducey (AZ), Ron DeSantis (FL), Brian Kemp (GA), Brad Little (ID), Kim Reynolds (IA), Eric Holcomb (IN), Tate Reeves (MS), Mike Parson (MO), Greg Gianforte (MT), Pete Ricketts (NE), Chris Sununu (NH), Doug Burgum (ND), Mike DeWine (OH), Kevin Stitt (OK), Henry McMaster (SC), Bill Lee (TN), Greg Abbott (TX), Spencer Cox (UT), and Mark Gordon (WY).

Portions of the letter included below:

“As Governors, we oppose any attempt to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States. In short, “court packing”—or increasing the number of Justices to manipulate the Court’s decisions—would be unprecedented, unproductive, and unpredictable. The highest court in our land has seated nine justices for more than 150 years and has persisted throughout our nation’s history, dispensing justice even when faced with landmark, controversial decisions.
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“In April, you signed an Executive Order to form the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States to explore reforming the Court, specifically including the consideration of court packing. Opposition to the composition or past decisions of our Court should not be the impetus for radical change to a bedrock branch of our nation’s government.

We urge you to withdraw this proposal from consideration. Legal scholars from across the country and on both sides of the political aisle agree that court packing will breed perpetual court packing—it will never be enough. Each partisan shift will result in seats added to the Court until the Court has lost not only its independence but its authority. The end result of court packing would lead to inconsistent rulings that undermine the legitimacy of the Court and fail to guide our nation and serve our states.”

View the signed letter here.