In his letter about court packing, James Ault fails to discuss how Mitch McConnell and the Republicans have been packing the courts for years, with help from The Federalist Society. McConnell held up President Barack Obama’s nominations for years, the best known being Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court. He said that the American people should decide who gets to appoint the next member of the Supreme Court. When President Obama left office, McConnell had blocked more than 200 appointments.
After Donald Trump’s election, McConnell began filling judicial appointments with a fervor. As of the end of September, McConnell and Trump have filled 218 vacancies: two Supreme Court Justices, 53 Court of Appeals Judges and 161 District Court Judges. Many of these appointees were considered “unqualified” by the American Bar Association.
Now, Trump has nominated a third candidate to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a darling of the extreme right, to replace the iconic Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. McConnell has done a complete reversal on his position that the people should decide who gets to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. So, tell me Mr. Ault, who is packing the courts?
