Non-footy: Another prime example of how fu**ed up America is...

This supreme court judge replacement for Ginsberg!!! Apart from the hypocrisy of the Republicans who have completely changed tack re appointing a replacement in the run up to a Presidential election compared to when Obama was in office , the whole system is an affront to democracy on so many levels.

I don't really give a t*ss as it has nothing to do with us, but IMO the legal system of any civilised progressive country should be completely separated from politics and yet whoever hold the political power determines who will be given the lifetime position. The polarisation of Republicans vs Democrats makes the current UK Parliament extreme differences of Labour vs Conservative ideology seem trivial by comparison. USA is, again IMO, no better than many small (and not so small) countries ruled by dictators.

I think that Biden (hopefully) will usurp the 'Orange One' at the Election, but even if they overturn the majorities in the two houses, given the likely 'Political makeup' of the Supreme Court, Biden is likely to be blocked on many progressive policies... healthcare, abortion rights, gun laws etc. for his entire tenure in the same way as Obama was.

 

There's a possibility if Biden wins and Democrats have senate majority they will create more Supreme Court judges.

 

Can they do that?. I thought the number was fixed and once appointed it was a job for life (unless the incumbent resigns)

EDIT: Looked it up and apparently Roosevelt got a law (1930s) passed to enable the numbers to be increased (for political ends!) However, it would be difficult to redress the lopsided balance if Trump elects another Republican without making the Supreme court numbers the size of a football team!

 

I read it somewhere recently. I also think Roosevelt tried to do it in the 1930s but backed down after criticism.

 

Crossed posts!! I referenced that but did not know it had not gone through. Apparently though the number has fluctuated between 6 and 9 so it looks like it can change but I do not know if the 9 is a maximum number set in stone.

 

I think the Supreme Court started at six and has been increased to nine. There's nothing to stop it being increased to 109 other than the complete trashing of its independent legitimacy. Unfortunately that line was crossed long ago.
It's beyond obscenity that the law in a country is controlled by its politicians though, in reality, I guess there's an element of that in every democracy including the UK. In America though it's front and centre and the hypocrisy of Republican Senators at the moment is staggering as they now contradict everything they said on the Senate floor in 2016.
The appointment of judges in any country should be done independently and have nothing to do with politics.

 

Now, if only the party elected to lead the UK didn't have political reform of the judiciary as one of its manifesto pledges.