Progressive and Democratic lawmakers are reviving calls to expand the Supreme Court after the court’s far right justices ruled on Thursday to strike down a New York law that requires people to have a “proper cause” to obtain a license to carry a gun in public.
The decision was handed down by the court’s six-Republican majorityWill have far-reaching consequencesThis ruling will not only affect New York but also other states that may be trying to curb gun violence through similar laws. The ruling was swiftly condemned by gun safety advocatesAccording to him, the decision will only serve one purpose. worsen gun violencePlaces where gun safety lawsGun deaths have been reduced.
This decision follows horrific mass shootings in Uvalde (Texas) and Buffalo (New York); More. Lawmakers and gun control advocates said that the ruling is a perfect example of why Congress should pass legislation to add more seats to the Supreme Court — seats that would be filled by Democratic President Joe Biden in order to overrule the extremist right-wing conservatives on the High Court.
“This decision is dangerous. It will upend gun safety laws around the country when the American people are looking for more protection from gun violence, not less,” wrote the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “We must pass gun safety legislation. We must expand the Supreme Court.”
This week, the Senate passed a law that would make progress towards federal gun safety regulations. Closing the so-called boyfriend loopholeCreating stricter background checks for gun sellersBuyers under 21 The bill contains what are likely to be the only gun restrictions that Congress could pass under the filibuster. Gun safety activists however Have saidThe law is insufficient to address the problem of gun violence in America.
Some progressive groups have praised Thursday’s ruling because the New York law was “arbitrarily and discriminatorily applied” to nonwhite groups, the Legal Aid Society said. However, the High Court’s reasoning for overturning the law was likely unrelated to the racial discrimination or carceral rates perpetrated by its enforcement. Conservative lawmakers, who see it as a win, instead reacted to the decision. have used the decisionTo demand gun violence against the Left
The House of Democrats also demanded that the Supreme Court be expanded on Thursday as a reaction to the gun safety decision; ruling to limit Fifth Amendment Miranda rights; an upcoming decision on federal agencies’ ability to regulate air pollution; and, of course, the expected decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Miranda. Gun control. Voting rights. Abortion care. Clean air and water,” wrote Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan). “SCOTUS repeatedly fails to protect our rights, autonomy, and safety, and it shows no signs of stopping. There’s only one way to course correct its extremism before it’s too late — we must expand the Court.”
“Today, the far-right Court has gone out of its way to expand the Second Amendment and undermine public safety, while shrinking the Fifth Amendment and taking away Miranda rights,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts). Markey introduced legislationLast year, the Supreme Court was to be expanded by four seats. “We cannot allow this overtly political Court to stand in the way of our safety. Expand the Court.” Fellow sponsor of the bill Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-New York) joined in, saying that the Court is “packed with far-right, radical ideologues.”
Even though lawmakers have been calling for expansion of the Supreme Court for over a decade, conservative DemocratsDespite the fact that the Supreme Court has more justices than ever before, they are opposed to the idea. is completely arbitraryRepublican lawmakers have exploited the nine-justice limit. presidents electedWith only a minority vote.