Clyburn Says Impeachment Shouldn't Be Democrats' Priority if They Win House, Backs 13-Justice Supreme Court
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The Facts
- Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said impeaching President Donald Trump should not be Democrats' priority if they win the House in the midterms.
- Asked whether he would rule out impeachment, Clyburn said, "I don't rule it out, but I don't rule it in."
- Clyburn said Democrats' first order of business should be making the country accessible and affordable for all citizens.
- Clyburn made the remarks in an interview with moderator Kristen Welker on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
- Clyburn endorsed expanding the Supreme Court from nine justices to 13, calling it "a pretty good number."
- Welker asked about the expansion in the context of former Vice President Kamala Harris's call for a 13-justice court, and Clyburn said he agreed.
- Clyburn said Congress should take action to expand the court, which would add four seats to the nine-member bench.
- Clyburn said the Supreme Court is moving back toward Chief Justice Roger Taney's 1857 Dred Scott opinion, which he cited in defending expansion.
- Clyburn said his 1991 testimony supporting Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation was a mistake he would "own up to."
- Newsmax reported that a larger court could let a future Democratic Congress and White House alter its ideological balance.
Context
Did Clyburn say Democrats would never pursue impeachment?
No. He declined to commit either way, saying he does not rule impeachment in or out, and indicating the option remains open but is not a top priority NBC News,HuffPost,Rolling Out. The Washington Times reported he also said Democrats could pursue their domestic agenda and impeachment at the same time: "We can walk and chew gum at the same time, and maybe do both" Washington Times.
What is the Dred Scott decision Clyburn referenced?
Dred Scott v. Sandford was an 1857 Supreme Court ruling whose majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, stated that Black people "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect" Breitbart,Internewscast Journ…. Clyburn argued the current court has "decided to reverse course" toward those rulings, using that claim to justify his push for expansion Hill,Internewscast Journ….
Why does Clyburn's position on Clarence Thomas matter?
Clyburn publicly testified in favor of Thomas's confirmation in 1991, describing him at the time as a personal and professional friend despite political differences PJ Media,Free Press - Tampa. Asked Sunday whether he stood by that endorsement, Clyburn said "Absolutely not," adding that he had expected Thomas's background and experience to shape his work on the bench Mediaite,Free Press - Tampa.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Impeachment is the smaller question here; both reads treat the Court — its size and who gets to change it — as the substantive stake, and one requiring an argument.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether adding four seats is a remedy for a Court drifting back toward Dred Scott, or a structural change its advocate has yet to justify beyond calling thirteen a good number.
- Why they won’t converge
- The divide is over institutional trust rather than facts: one side treats the Court's composition as a legitimate object of majority correction when it errs, the other treats its fixed structure as the thing that makes error survivable, so agreeing on Clyburn's words settles nothing.
How left and right read it
Affordability and access are what a House majority is actually for, which is why putting them first is a judgment about who power serves rather than timidity. Impeachment stays open rather than promised — ruled neither in nor out — and this president has already been impeached a second time for inciting insurrection. But the lasting harm runs through a Court drifting back toward Dred Scott, so Congress should expand it to thirteen seats.
“Trump was impeached for a second time in 2021 for inciting a violent insurrection against the government after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.” — HuffPost
The Court's size and the impeachment power are not tools to reach for whenever a party's fortunes improve; the burden falls on whoever wants to change them. Clyburn calls thirteen justices "a pretty good number" and urges Congress to add four seats, but a number offered as good enough is no reason. The Washington Examiner calls it a bid to dilute conservative influence, and he owes far more proof.
“the Democratic kingmaker leaned into some of the more controversial proposals of the Democratic Party's left flank, including the unprecedented move of adding Supreme Court justices to dilute the influence of conservatives” — Washington Examiner
The receipts — all 18 sources
Independent coverage (18)
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