Progressive group endorses seven candidates who support Supreme Court reform

A Democratic group focused on court reform on Friday rolled out its first-ever endorsements, backing seven House candidates who support expanding the Supreme Court.

Demand Justice PAC, the political action committee aligned with the progressive group Demand Justice,  announced the endorsements as Democratic activists seek to make court reform a more central issue in the aftermath of the court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.

The group endorsed Democratic Reps. Mondaire Jones (N.Y.) and Andy Levin (Mich.), who are running in newly drawn congressional districts. Levin is running in a primary against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District.

The group also backed congressional candidates Summer Lee, who is running in Pennsylvania’s 12th District, Jasmine Crockett in Texas’s 30th, Greg Casar in Texas’s 35th, Delia Ramirez in Illinois’s 3rd and Maxwell Frost in Florida’s 10th Congressional District.

Each of the candidates has voiced support for the Judiciary Act of 2021, which would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 12 justices.

“These candidates represent the future of the Democratic Party and they understand the threat posed to our democracy by our out-of-control  Supreme Court,” Demand Justice PAC President Brian Fallon said in a statement. “Democratic voters overwhelmingly support Supreme Court reform, and we are proud to stand with these next-generation leaders who are campaigning on the kind of bold reforms these times demand.”

Polling has shown the issue of court reform getting renewed attention from voters after the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling last month.

A poll from earlier this month from Navigator Research, a left-leaning firm, found 69 percent of Democrats support expanding the Supreme Court after the decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

A Politico-Morning Consult poll conducted in June right after the decision also found 45 percent of respondents were in favor of court expansion, compared to 38 percent who were opposed.

The Supreme Court’s ruling striking down federal abortion rights, coupled with fears that the majority conservative court could revisit precedents on same-sex marriage and contraception, has led to renewed talk among some Democrats about court reform.

The issue of expanding the court was a point of debate during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, with some candidates supporting expansion and others indicating they would be in favor of studying the issue.

President Biden commissioned a panel to research the issue and deliver a report, but the White House said in the wake of the Roe ruling that Biden is not in favor of expanding the court.

“That is something that the president does not agree with. That is not something that he wants to do,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in June.