Teen Vogue argues current Supreme Court is 'illegitimate,' at a 'crisis moment'
The Supreme Court is set to rule on major cases on abortion and guns this June
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Teen Vogue published an op-ed on Thursday that claimed the Supreme Court is facing a "crisis moment" of legitimacy because of its conservative justices.
The piece by Molly Coleman and Tristin Brown began by claiming that Justice Clarence Thomas’ refusal to recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6 events at the Capitol because of his wife’s connections was the latest display of "illegitimacy."
"As egregious as Justice Thomas’s refusal to recuse is, it is merely the latest display of the current Supreme Court’s illegitimacy. The creation of a 6-3 radically conservative supermajority on the Court is the result of a conservative legal movement determined to seize power at any cost," the article read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Coleman and Brown further argued that the addition of the three justices nominated by President Donald Trump were also illegitimate "because of bad-faith practices by conservatives."
FILE - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivers a keynote speech during a dedication of Georgia new Nathan Deal Judicial Center in Atlanta, Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
This referenced the nominations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Comey Barrett and the hostile Senate hearings against Justice Brett Kavanaugh by Democrat senators.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Failures to recuse in cases of conflicts of interest. Holding seats open in the case of Democratic nominees and rushing to fill seats in the case of Republican nominees. Allegations of sexual misconduct and ‘sham investigation’ of said claims. Taken together, it’s no wonder the Supreme Court is facing a crisis of legitimacy," they explained, listing off grievances.
Teen Vogue also worried about upcoming cases in the Supreme Court that could overturn Roe v. Wade, expand individual gun rights, and limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power. These cases, which are set to be ruled on in June, constitute an "emergency" in the court.
President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is sworn-in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Unelected, unaccountable judges are on the verge of limiting our ability to fight climate change while forcing people to birth unwanted babies in a world with almost unlimited access to deadly weapons," the article argued. "It’s perhaps no wonder that a majority of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court.
"We are in a crisis moment — and it’s only getting worse. We must treat this Court as the emergency that it is. And that starts with structurally reforming the Court."
FILE - In this April 23, 2021, file photo members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File) (AP)
Coleman and Brown insisted that Congress work to pass the Judiciary Act of 2021 to add four extra seats to the Supreme Court and demand "transparency and accountability" from the remaining justices. Overall, they hoped to "prioritize putting power back in the hands of democratically accountable individuals."
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"The time to critically assess and reconfigure the Court’s role in our society is now. Our democracy depends on it," the article concluded.