Molly Coleman, Executive Director of the People’s Parity Project, issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement of a Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court:
“President Joe Biden announced today that he is creating a Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, charged with addressing the pressing issue of court reform and Supreme Court expansion. We are heartened to see the Biden administration taking the future of our federal judiciary seriously. This historic announcement would not be happening without the energy and activism that we have seen over the last year, raising the alarm again and again about how the Right has rigged our federal courts.
However, for months, we have been calling for a commission that is made up of not just legal academics and those who study the judiciary, but people who are the most impacted by the judiciary. The urgency of court reform should not be treated as an intellectual exercise, but as something that has a direct impact on the lives of real people. Today’s announcement leaves us with grave concerns about the final recommendations that will be made by the commission.
We know that this commission is an important step, but it is only the first step. We do not have six months to lose in the fight to unrig our courts. The time for change is now. We will continue to work with the grassroots activists around the country who are calling for an expansion of the Supreme Court in order to undo the destruction of the Trump administration, and to fight for a judicial system that works for the people, not corporate profits .”
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Founded in 2018, the People’s Parity Project is a nationwide network of law students and new attorneys organizing to unrig the legal system and build a justice system that values people over profits. The organization is grounded in the belief that members of the legal profession have a responsibility to demystify—and dismantle—the coercive legal tools that have stacked the system against the people. PPP is fighting for a civil legal system that works for working people, especially workers of color, women, and low-wage, precarious, immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ workers. Learn more: peoplesparity.org/about.