Rep. Cori Bush: Reform the Supreme Court or watch democracy die

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Last week, the Supreme Court’s far-right majority went home for the summer, but only after a stark reminder that they do not serve the people of this country — they serve Donald Trump and MAGA extremism. They serve wealthy corporations exploiting our communities. They serve whichever right-wing billionaire gives them the most gifts. This term, the same extremist justices who overturned Dobbs and ended affirmative action doubled down on the court’s legacy of protecting the interests of wealth and white supremacy. The Republican-appointed justices are fighting a war on behalf of far-right extremists against the people of this country. These unelected justices have pulled off a judicial coup on behalf of fascists and billionaires. They have enabled Trump to evade accountability. They have opened the door for the MAGA cult to destroy our rights through Project 2025. They have greenlit the criminalization of homelessness. They have left millions of people in states like Missouri vulnerable to bans on emergency abortions and other attacks on reproductive rights. And they have provided a road map for wealthy corporations to harm our planet and our communities by handcuffing the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and countless other agencies from regulating them. The Republican-appointed justices are fighting a war on behalf of far-right extremists against the people of this country, and they are just getting started. Congress has a choice to make: reform the court or bear witness to the death of democracy and the destruction of the communities it should protect. Court reform is often discussed in abstract terms, but the reality is that for communities like St. Louis, it is a matter of life or death. This court has determined that my constituents cannot access abortion care. That they deserve weaker labor protections. That it’s fine if they drink polluted water and breathe polluted air, are subject to voter suppression, are more likely to be unhoused, and are subject to the whims of fascist presidents who seek immunity and absolute impunity. Court reform is personal for me — not just as a member of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, but as a survivor of gun violence, as someone who has had an abortion, as the daughter of a former union meat cutter, and as a congresswoman representing a community that has been systematically denied the right to vote. And it should be personal to everyone who cares about our democracy and our freedoms. The gavel’s fall should signify justice served, not lives destroyed. Our lives and our communities are worse off because of this unchecked, extremist Supreme Court. The time for reform is now. Congress must remove lawless justices through impeachment — that’s why this week my colleagues and I introduced articles of impeachment against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito over their multiple ethical conflicts and failures to disclose. Congress must also pass legislation that imposes a binding code of ethics for every justice. We must expand the Court to 13 seats by passing the Judiciary Act, which I proudly co-lead. Congress must enact term limits for the justices. Finally, we must strip the Supreme Court of its power to invalidate federal laws that protect our fundamental rights. We cannot let the Supreme Court continue to sign death warrants for our communities. The longer we wait, the more vulnerable to fascism we become. I ask my colleagues in Congress: In this perilous moment, will we reform the court or will we watch democracy die?