Biden Tiptoes on ‘Court Packing’ to Avoid Eroding Lead in Polls – By Jennifer Epstein (Bloomberg) / Oct 14 2020
- Biden tells Ohio station that he’s ‘not a fan’ of adding seats
- Issue has gained political steam since Barrett nomination
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spent weeks refusing to answer whether he would give in to liberals and agree to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court, but when he finally responded, he left himself plenty of wiggle room.
The answer — “I’m not a fan of court packing” — was open enough to give comfort to independents and Republicans who oppose the idea, without angering progressives he needs to turn out to vote in some of the tighter battleground-state contests.
The Republican-led Senate is holding hearings this week over strong Democratic objections to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election. Barrett’s confirmation would give the court a 6-3 conservative majority for decades to come and has given new voice to demands to expand the court.
But Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have steadfastly refused to state their position on the issue, calling it a “distraction” from their opposition to the timing of nominating Barrett so close to the election and to Barrett herself.
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