[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 117 (Monday, July 10, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, this work period, we must continue to confirm
President Biden's nominees and rebalance the Federal bench with judges
who respect the rule of law. Sadly, Americans' faith in the Judiciary
is at an alltime low after the extreme MAGA right captured the Supreme
Court.
In the last few weeks, this MAGA majority on the Court has gutted
affirmative action, blocked student debt relief for millions of
Americans, and green-lit discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
What we are seeing at the Supreme Court is a sickening hypocrisy: As
some Justices feel free to accept lavish gifts and vacations from
billionaire friends, they are refusing to help everyday Americans just
trying to get a fair shake. And the billionaires who have provided
these trips and emoluments are no ordinary, run-of-the-mill
billionaires. They are ideological MAGA extremists who bankroll hard-
right MAGA causes and then bring those cases before the same judges
they patronized.
Congress has clear authority to oversee the Federal judiciary, and
that includes making sure that the highest Court in the land is held to
equally high ethical standards. So I support Chairman Durbin and the
Judiciary Committee's efforts to advance SCOTUS ethics reform and look
forward to working with them on this issue.
In the meantime, Senate Democrats will continue to help restore faith
and balance to the Federal judiciary by keeping up our historic pace of
confirming President Biden's judicial nominees.
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