Public views of the U.S. Supreme Court are currently as negative as they’ve been in more than three decades, and Democratic voters in particular are losing faith in the institution. A series of controversial recent decisions, including the reversal of Roe v. Wade, seem to be driving this crisis of confidence, along with troubling revelations about ethical entanglements involving Justice Clarence Thomas.
This week, Just Majority, a coalition of left-leaning groups deeply dissatisfied with the court, came to Boston to launch a national campaign aimed at expanding the court, and enlisted U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to help make its case. But would expanding the court make its rulings more congruent with public opinion? Should that even be the goal? And if not, what other steps might improve the court’s performance and shore up ebbing public trust?
Adam Reilly is joined by Renée Landers, a professor of law at Suffolk University and a past president of the Boston Bar Association, and Paul Collins, a political scientist and Supreme Court expert at UMass Amherst, to discuss the state of the court today and reforms that could boost public confidence moving forward.
Have you lost faith in the Supreme Court? Send us a message at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org, or share your thoughts via the Talking Politics page.
You can watch the discussion below right now, or catch the full show at 7 p.m. on GBH 2. Subscribe to the GBH News’ YouTube channel to get alerted to future episodes.
