For Immediate Release

FOUNDER OF TAKE BACK THE COURT SUBMITS TESTIMONY TO BIDEN SCOTUS COMMISSION

Over 8,000 more echo his call for our leaders to endorse expansion

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 16, 2021) — Take Back the Court Founder & President Aaron Belkin this week submitted written testimony to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. He was joined by more than 8,000 people, who echoed his message that our leaders must urgently support Court expansion.

Earlier this month, Belkin issued a call to Take Back the Court supporters to add their voices to shape his testimony and received more than 1,600 written submissions from people from all 50 states. The responses received were instrumental in framing his submission to ensure the voices of thousands of Americans are heard at the highest level of Court reform. After all, governments are about real people, not abstract theories.

“I’m in this fight because far too long the court has been occupied by people who do not see me as an equal human being,” said Peggy S. from Louisiana.
“In order to protect our democracy, the environment, and the values of the United States, the composition of the Court must be addressed and rebalanced,” echoed Brooke S. from California.
“We came too close to losing our freedom on Jan. 6. and I don't see the 'S.C.' helping to protect it,” said Dennis S. from Wisconsin.

“We received an overwhelming response from our members, demonstrating both the very real threat this Court poses to everyday Americans, and the growing momentum to take action,” said Belkin. “We want to make sure that the stories of those most directly affected by the Supreme Court were elevated for the Commission, which so far has heard mostly from elite lawyers and academics. Make no mistake, countless other Americans see the Supreme Court as an imminent threat to their health, economic security, and most fundamental rights — and they are counting on our leaders to act urgently to expand the Court.”

Belkin’s testimony is devoted to two essential points: The first is that Court expansion, the merits and appropriateness of which have been well-established, is not merely a good idea but an urgent one that must be acted on immediately, or we risk deep harm to our fellow citizens and the loss of democracy itself. The second is that while Court expansion is unlikely to be the last Court reform we need, it is certainly the first we must accomplish if we are to have any hope of enacting other important reforms.

In his writing, Belkin details Republicans’ attempt to leverage the current hyperpartisan 6-3 court to enshrine minority rule, and urges Commissioners to understand why passing the Judiciary Act is essential to save our democracy. As he concludes, “We can do big things. We just have to be willing to do them.”

A full copy of Belkin’s testimony can be found on the Take Back the Court website.

Take Back the Court raises awareness about the urgent need to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court to address the theft of the court by Senator Mitch McConnell during the Obama Administration. Without adding seats, Congress will not be able to restore the right to vote, ensure reproductive freedom, protect workers, halt our climate emergency, or pass new legislation. Court expansion, which can be accomplished without a constitutional amendment, is the only reform that enables the un-rigging of the system and the restoration of democracy. Learn more: https://www.takebackthecourt.today/