Obama was asked during an appearance on Pod Save America whether he would be open to reforms to restore voters’ trust in the Court.
He said, “I believe it needs to be thought out.” “One of our arguments when [Mitch] McConnell decided… that Merrick Garland wouldn’t get a hearing or vote was that if you start playing so explicit political games during the appointment process it’s difficult for people to not feel that this is an extension of day to day congressional politics rather than — the Supreme Court stands over, to a certain degree, those politics.”
He said, “And I think winning that trust is going to take some time.” “I don’t think it can be solved until we address the underlying polarization.”
A Gallup survey last month found that 47 percent of Americans trust the Supreme Court’s judicial branch. This is a 20% drop in trust from two years ago.
Jaime Harrison (DNC chairman) and other Democrats have claimed that the Supreme Court is “illegitimate” following the Court’s decision to overturn Roe, which was the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.
Although Harrison didn’t explain why the Court is “illegitimate,” progressives are bringing the charges against the Court because Republicans failed to hold a confirmation hearing in 2016 for Garland, Obama’s nominee. The GOP leaders claimed that it was not in America’s best interest to appoint justices in an election year.
The 2020 election saw Democrats grow more upset when Republicans decided to proceed with confirmation hearings for Justice Amy Coney Barrett, just weeks before the next presidential election.
Barrett’s confirmation led to a 6-3 conservative majority at the Court.
Obama stated that voters have become complacent since the years of ROE.
Roe did have one problem. It made a lot of voters complacent, making them think, “eh, do you really want to make me trudge and vote in an obscure midterm election?” He said, “Cuz I know the Supreme Court is protecting my right to vote.”
Obama stated that pro-abortion activists need to work hard to change their hearts, minds, and attitudes. The Court tends not to follow the trends of society but rather leads on divisive issues.
It’s rare for the court to get ahead of society in any significant way. It usually reacts to the situation and more often when it gets ahead by doing bad things than good things,” Obama stated.
