[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 2150
OPPOSE PACKING THE SUPREME COURT
(Mr. GIMENEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. GIMENEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the
proposal by some Members to pack the Supreme Court.
At first glance, you would think this came from Hugo Chavez or
Nicolas Maduro, pictured here. It is sad to see that it actually comes
from some people in this institution.
As a Cuban exile who fled the Communist Castro regime, I know the
consequences of these dictatorial moves to centralize power in the
hands of a few ideologues.
Packing the courts is a tactic used by brutal dictatorships, like
Venezuela, to consolidate the Socialists' power, which resulted in tens
of thousands of court rulings in its favor and basically destroyed the
country.
Packing the courts sets the precedent for the judicial branch being
expanded at every transition of power, with each President wanting to
put their four or more additional Justices, which eventually could
result in hundreds of Justices of the Supreme Court.
This proposal to fundamentally rebalance our judicial system towards
one political ideology should not only be opposed, but must be
condemned to the fullest extent.
I will fight to my last breath the attempts by anyone to
fundamentally change government in such a militant manner.
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