Georgia congressman plans to introduce Constitutional Amendment to prevent packing of SCOTUS
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Congressman Doug Collins, R-GA, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability", on Capitol Hill, on June 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. The hearing comes after the d
ATLANTA - U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) announced Monday his plans to introduce a Constitutional Amendment to prevent the packing of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).
The announcement is in response to calls by Democrats to expand the number of justices should President Trump and Republicans move forward with the nomination process to fill the void left by the late Justice Ruther Bader Ginsburg.
“Democrats’ latest threat to pack the Supreme Court throws our nation’s history to the wayside in pursuit of political gain and threatens the very foundation of our democracy. Since 1869, the Supreme Court has held exactly nine seats. To make a change during such a tumultuous time in our history diminishes the integrity of our nation’s highest court and sets an extremely dangerous precedent," Collins released in a statement. "By introducing a Constitutional Amendment to prohibit any changes to the number of justices until 10 years after any such legislation is signed into law, we can protect our nation’s highest court from becoming a political football.”
RELATED: Justice Ginsburg's death ignites another partisan fight
Ginsburg died at 87 of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Days before her death, the late justice dictated a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."
FILE - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, celebrating her 20th anniversary on the bench, is photographed in the West conference room at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 30, 2013. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Trump is expected to announce his choice for her replacement at weeks end.
Over the weekend, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tweeted: “If Sen. McConnell and @SenateGOP were to force through a nominee during the lame duck session—before a new Senate and President can take office—then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court.
"Filling the SCOTUS vacancy during a lame duck session, after the American people have voted for new leadership, is undemocratic and a clear violation of the public trust in elected officials. Congress would have to act and expanding the court would be the right place to start.”
Ginsburg will lie in state at the Supreme Court this week in repose on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 24, according to the court.