by Guy Page
Lieutenant Gov. David Zuckerman today led a small group of Progressive legislators calling for national legislation to expand the U.S. Supreme Court by four seats.
Due in large part to President Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices to the nation’s highest court, the current SCOTUS has issued rulings on abortion, gun rights, the accountability of the federal administrative state and other issues that are anathema to many progressives.
“We are seeing the traditional institutional norms and balance and respect for the system being completely upended by a tyrannical minority,” Zuckerman, a progressive who ran and won as a Democrat in 2022, said.
The Constitution gives the authority to change the numbers on the court, Zuckerman noted. “Expanding the Supreme Court by four seats will re-establish the balance for many, many years,” he said. Zuckerman also called for term limits to ensure the high court is invigorated by new blood.
Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (P-Chittenden) also spoke in favor of expanding the court at the noontime, outdoor press conference. Inside, Sen. Ann Watson (D-Washington) said she supports it too. By contrast, Sen. Terry Williams (R-Rutland) said he opposes the idea, and Sens. Irene Wrenner (D-Chittenden) and Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) both said they haven’t yet formed an opinion.
Vermont U.S. Senator Peter Welch sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Zuckerman said he plans to reach out to Welch to discuss his proposed legislation.
Categories: Legislation
“We are seeing the traditional institutional norms and balance and respect for the system being completely upended by a tyrannical minority”
Yes we are except they aren’t Trump’s appointed judges, they’re progressive, grooming, drug and prostitution enthusiastic, lying communists with loud mouths.
If it was such a small minority of conservatives then why has big tech and big media had to risk their wealth to silence the conservatives at the behest of the liberal left leaning governmental 3 letter agencies and Whitehouse?
More gaslighting from an accomplished expert. Sounds like zuckerman is practicing for a gubernatorial run.
Hahaha! Zuckerman wants term limits for the Supreme Court, but not politicians? You are part of the problem Zuckerman!
Want to guess that if the Supremes were a liberal majority, Zuck would be all in for status quo.
Amazing how Vermont breeds such libs,, guess it started with Bernie.
Zuckerman is a clown, he’s as much a farmer as my dog is
Now there’s a big surprise!!!! “We want Democracy OUT & Marxism in” – and these out-of-state radicals will do ANYTHING to get the country there from outright force to Constitutional violations to election fraud (yeah, FBI: election fraud, THAT IS) to lying to getting masses hooked on drugs….etc.
And Ponytail truly believes HE’LL be one of the elites in control. Yeah, OK. These folks all need to be tried for treason & NOT hung but banished to Cuba. Adios!
Good grief…..who woke him up? Rock him a little and put him back in the crib maybe he will go back to sleep.
Our elected officials should leave the Constitution alone and try abiding by it (and the State’s as well) first before they screw anything else up. Appears to be an irreversible power grab. Return the power to the people.
Mr. Zuckerman’s short-sighted proposal to expand the number of justices on the United States Supreme Court is, of course, a transparent effort to convert the only branch of our federal government which could possibly be non-political into a mini-legislature responding to the whims of the majority. Someone should ask Mr. Zuckerman – If the Republicans again control the House, Senate and Presidency, what would stop them from adding 4 more justices to his new 13-justice court creating a 17-justice court with a new conservative majority? Where does it all end under the Zuckerman plan? Actually, what he may be counting on – the fix is in regarding our elections and the country will never again have fair national elections reflecting the will of the people and therefore congressional majorities and the presidency will remain uni-party. His beef – he can’t readily reshape the US Supreme Court without adding 4 more now and therefore the court could get in the way of his agenda. I say checks and balances are a wonderful thing.
In 2013, harry reid, democrat-changed senate rules to eliminate the filibuster for all but Supreme Court nominees.
It was labeled the nuclear option. mitch mcconnell used that change in 2017 to allow confirmation of Neil Gorsuch.
democrats and progressives have been whining about it since, but it was the democrats that instituted the option.
zuckerman is merely parroting democratic talking points about court packing, failing to mention or remember that his ideological counterparts set the stage.
zuckerman also has forgotten that republicans could pack the court as well. Wouldn’t he cry foul when that happened!
Stupidly, zuckerman ignores that his pet cause-abortion rights was sent back to the states to decide, and Vermont codified Article 22, forever enshrining abortion as birth control asVermont’s law of the land.
He got what he wanted, and more. Vermont has yet to see what Art. 22 does.
Mr. Zuckerman. You are the tyrannical minority.
Just when you thought you were safe from Marxists and the Progressive mob from moving the goal posts to serve their never ending thirst for power and control, we give you David Zuckerman. These ridiculous ideas and statements from Zuckerman, by themselves, should disqualify him from holding public office. He’s a another sad example of what Vermont has to offer to our once great Republic.
The two watt bulb crowd makes a proclamation…wonders will never cease!
Would the disingenuous ponytailess one want to expand the court is Democrats had a 6-3 advantage ? Yea right !
Like Samson he should never have cut his hair…
Our US Supreme Court is the directed and transitional bridge over longer timespans of a series of US Presidential and Congressional elections. Appointments and confirmations follow the spoils of ballot wars over long time frames, as well they should as the Founders intended. Still the most democratic elections system of its scale in the free world now Lt. Pony Tail simply wants, like his DemoProg “annointed” philosopher kings, to seek the spoils without the victories at the ballot box.
To all those who reject the “tyranny of the majority” model of his type; Give thanks to a loving God that we still hold freedom dear and wastrels whine and sputter at the messy outcomes of the democracy they claim to defend!!!
This coming from someone who on public radio stated who in their right minds would want to live in a rural area. Another idiot in government. Just what we need. He was worthless when he was in before and still is.
It’s NOT a minority! It’s 5 conservative Justices and 4 liberal Justices! If Biden has to replace one Justice due to death, as Trump was bound to by the US constitution with Scalia and Ginsberg, Biden would appoint a LIBERAL JUSTICE, and once again there would be a LIBERAL MAJORITY.
If they add 4 Justices it would an be an 8 to 5 LIBERAL MAJORITY.”
These power hungry liberals are disgusting human beings. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Another stupid idea from a stupid person
Yup.. typical lib. When you can’t get the results you want you change the rules. SO TYPICAL!
“We are seeing the traditional institutional norms and balance and respect for the system being completely upended by a tyrannical minority,” says Zuckerman. What a hypocrite and Lefty Loon…When Dem Presidents appoint extreme liberals to the Court, to me that is atruly “tyrannical” move…we have seen the consequences of that over the years…Your labels, Suckerman, only prove that you are among the most dangerous in America…and Vermont sheeple need to wake up to that reality.
Whenever lying David Zuckerman tells us his idea is good for us, you know the truth is it’s very bad for us. David lies because he wants power for himself and his party, and wants it at the expense of our freedom. Vermont voters need to stop checking their brains at the door when they vote.
Hey ZMan until the VT legislature gets its $h!+ together, let’s not be worrying about what’s happening at the federal level. Furthermore, when the VT house and senate enacts term limits and the senate is is reduced to ONE senator per county, you can just plain shut-up, stuff it, stick it where the sun doesn’t shine…you get the picture, if not I’ll try to put in terms that a kindergartener can understand.
This is what leftists do. “If we don’t get our way, we manipulate, use corruption, conflict of interests, lies, bullying, censorship, and cheating to get our way.” Carpetbaggers like Pete and Dave are experts at using these tactics. It’s ALL they have to offer. I can see why the out-of-staters who come here bamboozled by Bernie Sanders idiocy and vote believing that hypocrite’s lies. What I don’t understand is how they got what used to be common sense Vermonters to go along as well. It’s either the low self esteem factor thinking they must know better, or they just complain and know these people are messed up but don’t get out and vote. If you are a conservative Vermonter, you have GOT to vote. And considerrunning for office.
Way to go Zuckernut, focus on the most important thing out here. Crazy pant stuff going on but you find it perfect to focus on this?
In a nutshell (interesting word choice) this is what Lt G Zucky’s hissy fit is all about. I can’t have things my way ! So let us add enough new justices to the SCOTUS until I can have my way. Adding 4 to make an imperfect and unlucky 13, for our new age communists ( I mean Progressives ).
The function of SCOTUS as designed by the founders as the Third branch of government is NOT to represent the people in any way. Its function is to interrupt the Constitutional Legality laws passed BY the peoples representatives. Anyone saying that SCOTUS needs to represent the will of the people is wrong. liberals like zuckerboy are enemies of America, freedom, liberty and independence.
Remember, their doing this because SCOTUS ruled that killing the unborn is not a Constitutional freedom.
SCOTUS isn’t compromised enough sayeth their Master. The marching orders and scripted talking points are now in the hands of the operative puppets aka elected officials. All hands on deck, foot to the gas pedal – the do or die desperation is reeking to high Heaven – the election season is officially upon us. Gag reflex engaged.
Terrible idea!
Oh yeah! Let’s use our time wisely! Every Congress should have as it’s first priority to vote on the appropriate number of Supreme Court Justices unless a particular case is coming up where they might want to add or detract (sorry for Gettysburg wording) for a desired outcome. Can they decide WHO stays on, who goes at the start of each new Congress too? This will be so much fun! Unbridled stupidity. They are lazer focused on the important issues of our time!
Supreme court is independent from the will of the people and represents the best interest of America, if every time we didn’t like a supreme court decision and tried to change the court it would violate the goals of our country’s founders.
Zuckerman….this jerk wanted mandatory mRNA injections for everyone. What a pile of doggie doo.