For four years, the liberal media would scream from the rooftops about how President Trump was “destroying our democratic institutions.” But ABC, CBS, and NBC were nowhere to be seen Wednesday night following the first meeting and swearing-in of President Biden’s commission to reshape the Supreme Court in the way only radical liberals benefitted from (either with court-packing or taking away Trump’s justice appointments).
Instead of covering Biden’s real attempt to destroy an American democratic institution, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News screeched about Republican opposition to a different commission to investigate the Capitol riot (which was already being investigated). And NBC took a tour of a Purell factory.
As usual, what the networks wanted to hide, Fox News Channel’s Special Report wasn’t afraid of putting front and center. “President Biden's commission to study a possible expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court had its first meeting today. It's an idea then-Senator Joe Biden once fiercely ridiculed. But things have changed,” anchor Bret Baier quipped at the top of the segment.
Correspondent David Spunt kicked off his report with a line that encapsulated just how ridiculous Biden’s plan was. “An institution formed in 1790 is under a top to bottom review 231 years later.”
He added: “Today, a 36-member bipartisan panel met for the first time to discuss monumental changes to the Supreme Court. The commission, established by President Biden, will look at the possibility of adding justices to the court, taking some away, and eliminating life tenure.”
So, according to the commission’s directive, Biden wanted them to look into completely making the third branch of government so that it could be more easily swayed by the political winds. And the network didn’t care.
Spunt also noted that the panel was “bipartisan.” “Membership ranges from liberal Harvard professor Lawrence Tribe to former Federal Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee,” he said.
In a rather humorous explanation, Spunt reviewed how membership on the court fluctuated in the early years of the country based on the whim of Congress before we settling on nine for over 150 years. “There were initially six members of the high court, then five, then seven, then nine, down to eight, ten for a while, back down to eight, before finally setting on nine a half a century ago,” he recapped.
And no report on Biden’s court-packing scheme would be complete without a breakdown of his apparent flip-flop on the issue:
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: I will appoint justices who will not overtake to override the judgment of the Congress.
SPUNT: In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted 15 justices on the court. A plan called court packing. His plan failed. In 1983, a senator from Delaware named Joe Biden called the idea, well:
BIDEN: It was a bonehead idea.
“Progressive Democrats want to add as many as four justices to the court. The commission will put out a final report by November but no formal recommendations. Any changes would be up to Congress,” Spunt cautioned.
He concluded the segment by noting that any changes to the Supreme Court would have problems in the Senate, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had indicated she had no plans to introduce such a bill.
This willful omission of President Biden’s scheme to damage an American institution was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Ford Motor Company on ABC, Hyundai on CBS, and Progressive on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
May 19, 2021
6:29:53 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: President Biden's commission to study a possible expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court had its first meeting today. It's an idea then-Senator Joe Biden once fiercely ridiculed. But things have changed. Here’s correspondent David Spunt.
[Cuts to video]
DAVID SPUNT: An institution formed in 1790 is under a top to bottom review 231 years later.
[Panel taking oath in unison]
SPUNT: Today, a 36-member bipartisan panel met for the first time to discuss monumental changes to the Supreme Court. The commission, established by President Biden, will look at the possibility of adding justices to the court, taking some away, and eliminating life tenure.
BOB BAUER (commission co-chair): We really do not believe we can do this work without the benefit of the broadest diversity of perspectives.
SPUNT: Membership ranges from liberal Harvard professor Lawrence Tribe to former Federal Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee.
The Constitution does not establish a set number of justices. That's up to Congress. There were initially six members of the high court, then five, then seven, then nine, down to eight, ten for a while, back down to eight, before finally setting on nine a half a century ago.
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: I will appoint justices who will not overtake to override the judgment of the Congress.
SPUNT: In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted 15 justices on the court. A plan called court packing. His plan failed. In 1983, a senator from Delaware named Joe Biden called the idea, well:
THEN-SENATOR JOE BIDEN (D-DE): It was a bonehead idea.
SPUNT: But some Democrats in 2021 believe the idea is perfect.
SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): The United States Supreme Court is broken. It is out of balance.
SPUNT: Progressive Democrats want to add as many as four justices to the court. The commission will put out a final report by November but no formal recommendations. Any changes would be up to Congress.
PAUL SMITH (Georgetown University Law Center): If the Democrats had done much, much better in the election than they did, I think there might be some momentum. But at this point, with a 50/50 Senate, it's just not happening.
SPUNT: In addition to potential hurdles passing the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Bret, said she has no plans to bring any legislation that would alter the number of justices on the court to the House floor. Bret.
BAIER: David Spunt outside the Supreme Court. David, thank you.
