President Joe Biden promised Black voters Wednesday that he would appoint progressives to the US Supreme Court if elected to a second term, suggesting he expects vacancies on the high court over the next four years.

“The next president, they’re going to be able to appoint a couple justices, and I’ll be damned — if in fact we’re able to change some of the justices when they retire and put in really progressive judges like we’ve always had, tell me that won’t change your life,” he said during a campaign rally in Philadelphia.

It was as explicit a warning as Biden could offer about the stakes of the upcoming election, and a clear reminder that some of the nine justices have entered their seventies.

Clarence Thomas is 75 and Samuel Alito is 74; both are conservative and appointed by Republican presidents. Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal who was nominated by President Barack Obama, turns 70 next month.

  • hark@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Actually progressive or “biden is the most progressive president in recent US history” progressive? I’ll take either over the alternative, but I’d love it if it was more than former than the latter.

    • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      At least he’s talking about the views of a justice he might pick, rather than what race and sex they’re going to be as though that’s the most important criteria.

      • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Yes, but he’s also shown himself willing to say anything to get support and votes. He had a lot of big progressive talk during his campaign when he was against Sanders, but then dropped that facade pretty much within the first few months and started giving out corporate handjobs.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Actually progressive or “biden is the most progressive president in recent US history” progressive?

      He’s going to appoint Merrick Garland again.

    • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I’ll take anyone who isn’t a corporate careerist at this point. The people sitting on the supreme court shouldn’t be expecting to leverage it to make an exhorbitant amount of money.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Obviously, the problem with the SCOTUS is that there’s too many of them. If we were to make John Roberts the singular all-powerful Supreme-ist justice, that would fix everything.

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Biden’s going to need everyone’s help. Turn the Senate and the House super Blue. Even if you hate Biden because of Israeli support, vote for your Rep and Senator that can deal with this corruption. Add to the bench until the traitors Thomas and Alito become irrelevant. Revise the number of Senate and House seats.

    • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Even if you hate Biden because of Israeli support,

      Trump said that “he (Trump) fully support’s Israel’s Gaza genocide.”

      Anything Biden can do, Trump can (and would) do worse.

      • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        People keep claiming this, but never actually specify how Trump could possibly be worse than full-on support for genocide. Biden is 100% for the genocide, he has proved this and has put zero restrictions or conditions on Israel’s far-right regime.

        What we’re seeing in Gaza under Biden will be the exact same thing we see under Trump.

        This is not the argument neolibs want to be making at this time.

        • barsquid@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Yeah why would people just assume it will be worse with Muslim ban Donald who says “finish the job” and “deport the protesters?” Silly geese.

          • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            No, you’re just illustrating what I’m talking about. How, specifically, do you envision Donald Trump being worse on this genocide than no strings attached support that Biden has given?

            This lesser of two evils shit isn’t working because Biden is showing himself to just be literally out and out evil. You guys need to come to terms with what you’re supporting here, it’s time to acknowledge how far to the right you’ve had to go to be trying to scare people into voting for your candidate with “nuances of genocide”.

    • sgtgig@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I just want the GOP to get absolutely pummeled for once so we can move the overton window back in the right direction. No I don’t like the dems. Yes I will vote for them every time as they represent the closest to what I want.

      • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Not going to happen while they’re still taking AIPAC money, that shit is toxic to actual turn-out for Dems at this point.