Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Representative from New York, has recently ignited a firestorm of controversy with her critique of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on issues including affirmative action, student loan debt forgiveness, and religious freedom.
The Congresswoman made provocative claims about a supposed “dangerous creep toward authoritarianism”, even as she advocated for intrusive probes into the Supreme Court, a move that is unfounded and unsettling.
On CNN’s “Face the Nation” last Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez expressed, “These are the types of rulings that signal a dangerous creep toward authoritarianism and centralization of power in the courts.”
She went on to quote Justice Elena Kagan, declaring that “the court is beginning to assume the power of a legislature.”
The closest the Supreme Court has ever come to legislating was the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, where SCOTUS was accused of overstepping its boundaries by inventing rights not explicitly outlined in the constitution.
The outspoken Congresswoman, who frequently decries alleged threats to democracy, now seems to be undermining the judiciary, a key pillar of our government’s balance of power.
During the CNN interview, Ocasio-Cortez was asked, “Are you also saying that the justices’ power should somehow be limited?” She responded, “I truly do. And this is not a new development in history. This is part of our system of checks and balances.”
She went on to express a view that an unchecked Supreme Court would lead to “an undemocratic and, frankly, dangerous authoritarian expansion of power.”
In fact she said, this “is what we are seeing now, from the overturning of abortion rights, to the ruling that discrimination and, frankly, stripping the full personhood and dignity of LGBTQ people in the United States.”
Furthermore, Ocasio-Cortez recommended using subpoenas and investigations against Chief Justice John Roberts.
“If Chief John Roberts will not come before Congress for an investigation voluntarily, I believe that we should be considering subpoenas. We should be considering investigations, she said.
She did not stop there. Ocasio-Cortez also said, “There also must be impeachment on the table.”
“We have a broad level of tools to deal with misconduct, overreach, and abuse of power. And the Supreme Court has not been receiving the adequate oversight necessary in order to preserve their own legitimacy,” she continued.
She also accused the Supreme Court of “destroying the legitimacy of the court” which she says “is profoundly dangerous for our entire democracy.”
Despite the vocal dissatisfaction with Supreme Court decisions expressed by Democrats like President Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the court’s rulings have been meticulously reasoned according to the Constitution.
Ocasio-Cortez has once again attempted to use the “protecting democracy” tactic in a way that would disrupt the entire balance of power as outlined in the constitution and highlights her ignorance. Many took to Twitter to show their disapproval.
Critics warn that attempts to destabilize the judiciary’s legitimacy pose a serious threat to the very fabric of our nation’s governance. Fortunately it is not likely her ridiculous call to “investigate” the Supreme Court will likely go nowhere.
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During a Bronx event Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “If we want to reduce violent crime, if we want to reduce the number of people in our jails, the answer is to stop building more of them,’”
