Scoop: Democrats home in on SCOTUS as Biden panic persists
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Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court on June 28, 2024. Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images.
As Capitol Hill is engulfed in panic and frenzied speculation about President Biden's candidacy, top House Democrats are trying to focus on a topic far more unifying for the party: The Supreme Court.
Why it matters: House Democrats hope that an intense focus on controversial recent Supreme Court rulings will help pull their party out of its political tailspin and make the case, at least, for Democratic majorities in Congress.
Driving the news: House Democrats' whip meeting on Wednesday morning will feature a "special guest," according to an invite obtained by Axios: Georgetown University law professor and prolific Supreme Court commentator Steve Vladeck.
- The topic of Vladeck's appearance, per the invite: "Understanding the impact of the Supreme Court's recent rulings."
- Vladeck and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's (D-Mass.) office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Context: Democrats have raged against rulings this Supreme Court session that severely weakened federal agency rulemaking and determined that presidents have immunity for "official acts."
- The Supreme Court's conservative supermajority has become a top target for Democrats in recent years as public trust in the institution has cratered.
Zoom in: Many Democrats have particularly seized on the Supreme Court's 6-3 immunity ruling along ideological lines. The high court left a lower court to determine what counts as an official act in former President Trump's federal Jan. 6 indictment.
- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios of the immunity decision: "This election is no longer about choosing a president. It's about choosing whether to keep our democracy or end it."
- The decision renewed Democratic calls for a raft of Supreme Court reform measures such as ethics rules, term limits and expanding the bench.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) even announced plans to file articles of impeachment — likely targeting Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who refused to recuse themselves from Jan. 6-related cases involving Trump.
Yes, but: Democrats are likely to struggle to keep the focus on the Supreme Court as the Biden drama continues to loom large in the party's mind.
- Virtual House Democratic meetings this week have been consumed by angst about Biden, and lawmakers expect that their full caucus meeting on Wednesday will be as well.
The big picture: Democrats have increasingly sought to make the Supreme Court an electoral issue, especially as voters in red and blue states have backed abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
- Republicans have long made the courts a leading issue of federal elections.
Go deeper: Democrats vow to get "aggressive" with SCOTUS after Trump ruling
