Joe Biden believes he shouldn’t have to answer whether or not he intends to pack the Supreme Court, as many Democrats have recently insisted, and thinks anyone who wants to know should “shut up.”
During the first presidential debate, the former Vice President and Democratic nominee was asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether he would either pack the Supreme Court or eliminate the filibuster should Republicans in the Senate confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat.
"I'm not going to answer the question… Will you shut up?" Biden said when asked about court packing pic.twitter.com/i4RHShQAIP
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) September 30, 2020
At first, Biden attempted to evade the question, attempting to pass off the court-packing fears as a distraction from the president. However, Wallace continued to press him, noting that it was actually Democrats who suggested adding two justices to the Court should the Senate confirm Barrett.
Rather than tell the American people whether he intended to either pack the Court or end the filibuster, he stated, “Whatever position I take on that, that will be the issue,” following up by incongruously stressing the importance of voting.
Why Biden needs to answer where he stands on court packing, according to @johnddavidson pic.twitter.com/PXqmLXuSae
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) September 30, 2020
Of course, the intentions of a presidential candidate surrounding court packing would and should be an issue. The Supreme Court holds an enormous amount of power, and adding two politically-friendly justices with lifetime appointments in order to push through your preferred interpretations would have immense implications for decades to come.
During Biden’s monologued ode to voting, Trump continually pestered him to answer the question, repeating “Are you going to pack the court?” Biden eventually attempted to deflect the pressure to answer, declaring again, “I’m not going to answer that question,” but Trump would not let up, noting the risk of Biden adding “radical leftist” judges.
Biden snapped, “Will you shut up, man?” But the president would not, turning his questions to asking “Who is on your list?”
Chris Wallace ultimately cut off the conversation, allowing Biden to get away with his refusal to state whether or not he intends to pack the court and end the filibuster should he be elected.
Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris likewise refused to respond to questions surrounding court packing during a CNN interview with Jake Tapper tonight. Harris answered in the same manner as Biden, ignoring the question in favor of discussing how “important” this election truly is and claiming that the next president. whoever he is, should be the one to select the Justice. After her statement, Tapper noted that she, like Biden, refused answer.
