Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and nearly two dozen other Republican Attorneys General submitted a letter to the White House and leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate discouraging the expansion of the Supreme Court.
"I will not stand for this obvious power grab from the Biden administration. The Supreme Court has a robust history of keeping in line with the laws of the nation—not the whim of political objectives,” Paxton said in an April 22 Tweet.
In House Resolution 2584, supporters of an increase from nine associate justices to 12 see an opportunity to re-balance the highest court in the land, which has a 6-3 conservative majority at this point. To allow that increase, the bill would amend title 28 of the U.S. Code.
“As the chief legal officers of our States, we write to you regarding our serious concerns about recent reports indicating this Congress’ intent to pack the Supreme Court by passing H.R. 2584. Indeed, given the filing of the bill six days after the president announced his Executive Order regarding the Supreme Court, it is clear that the Commission on the Supreme Court is nothing but a coordinated attempt to justify a naked political power grab by the leaders of Congress and the president,” Paxton and other Republican Attorneys General wrote. “We believe that such actions will seriously undermine our constitutional system, the public’s confidence in our courts, and the rule of law. We oppose passage of such measure.”
Signers of the letter include Ashley Moody, Attorney General for Florida; Steve Marshall, Attorney General for Alabama; Leslie C. Rutledge, Attorney General for Arkansas; Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General for Idaho; Christopher M. Carr, Attorney General for Georgia; Todd Rokita, Attorney General for Indiana; Daniel Cameron, Attorney General for Kentucky, Jeff Landry, Attorney General for Louisiana; Lynn Fitch, Attorney General for Mississippi; Eric S. Schmitt, Attorney General for Missouri; Derek Schmidt, Attorney General for Kansas; Austin Knudsen, Attorney General for Montana; Dave Yost, Attorney General for Ohio; Wayne Stenehjem, Attorney General for North Dakota; Mike Hunter, Attorney General for Oklahoma; Alan Wilson, Attorney General for South Carolina; Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General for West Virginia; Douglas Peterson, Attoreny General for Nebraska; and Sean D. Reyes, Attorney General for Utah.