The dumbest Democratic idea yet: Court packing

Democratic court packing would ignite a partisan arms race that would quickly culminate in the complete dissolution of the court's authority

The Supreme Court.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Franz Jantzen/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)

Nearly a year out from the first votes being cast in the Democratic primary contest, we are awash in ideas for reform of the American political system — some of them good, others flatly unrealistic, and at least one of them uniquely terrible.

Abolishing the Electoral College is a very good idea, but it requires the passage of a constitutional amendment, and that's exceedingly unlikely to happen. Also very good and quite a bit easier to achieve would be a push to protect voting rights and make exercising them easier. Eliminating the filibuster in the Senate is another good idea if the Democrats gain a majority, as long as they're willing to live with the consequences the next time they find themselves in the minority. Other structural changes that would enhance Democratic power — giving statehood to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; breaking gargantuan California into several smaller states — are fanciful in the current political climate, but there's nothing illegitimate about the effort.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.