FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ICYMI: Members of Congress Discuss Urgent Need to Expand the Supreme Court

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 1, 2021) — Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Congressman Mondaire Jones, and Take Back the Court Executive Director Sarah Lipton-Lubet today held a press call on the urgent need to expand the Supreme Court to protect abortion rights. The call came in wake of the Supreme Court allowing Texas’ draconian 6-week abortion ban to go into effect.

Below are quotes from today’s speakers:

Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY)

“The Court is meant to protect our rights and our liberties. But today’s far-right supermajority is clearly committed to rolling back even our most fundamental rights. The thing is, this is just the beginning.”
“We have the power — and the responsibility — to restore balance to the Supreme Court by expanding it. Expanding the Court is the only way to stop the far right majority on the Court, which includes two seats that were stolen by Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and the GOP.”
“By expanding the Court, we can ensure that we once again have justices committed to upholding legal precedents, respecting the rule of law, and prioritizing the interests of the American people before corporations and special interests. But now we need every member of the Democratic Caucus to do the same. And time is of the essence. We have a limited window under unified Democratic control to get this done. And if we fail to, I shudder to think what this court might do in the months and in the years ahead.”

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

“We have seen our federal judiciary hijacked over the last four years with Mitch McConnell changing the rules twice in order to pack the court with more than 200 Trump judges, and of course the Supreme Court as well.”
“Under the current Supreme Court, the basic civil rights of women, of people of color, of workers, and our LGBTQ community are at risk. And we are seeing this today with the Supreme Court refusing to step in to block a cruel and unprecedented abortion ban, allowing it to take effect in Texas.”
“With the Judiciary Act, we can create a Supreme Court with a wider range of perspectives and life experiences that more accurately reflect the diversity of our country.”
“Women are not going to give up and take the pulling away of their most fundamental right, the autonomy of their own bodies, their right to make their own decisions. So the fight is just beginning, and I bet any day of the week on the women of the United States of America.”
“This is going to be a grassroots fight. And as someone who believes that when we fight we win, that we’re going to have to mobilize people in a way that we have not done before.”

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

“There’s nothing that happened last night or this morning that surprises me — it pains me tremendously. But we knew from the time that Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump got together and did what they did and put those individuals who shouldn't be on the Supreme Court on the Supreme Court, that either through intentional action or inaction, they would start stripping away our fundamental rights.”
“We’ve fought for and we have found the opportunity to create these rights, these opportunities for people to be free in this country. This Supreme Court is the antithesis of what we expect in our democracy. ...They are attacking our fundamental rights and our fundamental democracy, and every one of us is in danger.”
“What happened today is the beginning of what’s going to happen to all of us who are interested in a free country and the right to make decisions for ourselves. This is unconscionable, it is disgusting, and it is undemocratic.”

Sarah Lipton-Lubet, Executive Director of Take Back the Court

“Last night, the U.S. Supreme Court chose to ignore decades of precedent and allowed a Texas law banning abortion at 6 weeks of pregnancy -- before most people even know that they’re pregnant -- to go into effect. Under the cover of night, without a single word, the Supreme Court effectively extinguished Roe v. Wade in the state of Texas and launched a full-fledged attack on reproductive rights. It was a cowardly act, and one that makes clear just how hostile this Court is to abortion rights, and just how little regard they have for women and other pregnant people.”
“Today, women woke up to have their abortion appointments cancelled. And clinic staff woke up to have to tell patients they’re not allowed to help them -- after staying up all night to help as many people as they could.”
“We knew this day was coming. We know what needs to be done. And until we do it, the Supreme Court will continue to ride roughshod over our rights and our democracy.”

Take Back the Court raises awareness about the urgent need to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court to address the theft of the court by Senator Mitch McConnell during the Obama Administration. Without adding seats, Congress will not be able to restore the right to vote, ensure reproductive freedom, protect workers, halt our climate emergency, or pass new legislation. Court expansion, which can be accomplished without a constitutional amendment, is the only reform that enables the un-rigging of the system and the restoration of democracy. Learn more: https://www.takebackthecourt.today/