Jonathan Turley: Biden’s veto of Judges Act makes him a timid partisan, not a Framer
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When it comes to advocacy journalism, April Ryan has long been a standout. During the Trump administration, Ryan frequently cursed at White House press conferences and spoke out against everything Republican or conservative. Now, an MSNBC contributor and Griot White House correspondent has declared President Joe Biden “the standard-bearer for the policies enacted by the Founding Fathers.” What’s the reason? His veto of the Judges Act was met with much criticism and partisan opposition. While staunch Biden allies like Delaware Sen. Chris Coons also criticized the president for vetoing a much-needed bipartisan measure to add new judges, Ryan declared it the work of a modern-day George Washington.
House passes bill that would give Trump more federal judge appointments amid Biden veto threat
When the MSNBC host noted that the Judges Act “has bipartisan support” and is needed to relieve court overload, Ryan responded by saying that a partisan obstructionist move was exactly what the Framers intended:
“It’s simple. This President Joe Biden doesn’t want to give President-elect Donald Trump a chance to add more conservatism to our courts, that’s the bottom line. I mean, there’s a lot of people talking about everything right now. All were under pressure.
… He was the standard-bearer for the policies laid down by the Founding Fathers. He wanted to make sure everything went well. Think about this, even if this isn’t a federal judge, think about what happened to Merrick Garland. Consider that Merrick Garland didn’t even get a chance to interview some senators because they said no, they didn’t want Democrats on the U.S. Supreme Court. In some ways, this is true too. This is an attempt to stick to the bottom line and once again ensure fairness, equal competition, and checks and balances in place.
Ryan mixed his rationale for avoiding adding conservative justices in retaliation for previous votes with viewing it as a noble cause dating back to the founding of the country.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Department of Labor on December 16, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dickey/Getty Images)
Of course, as I discuss in my book Indispensable Rights , men like John Adams used the Alien Act and the Sedition Act to arrest their political opponents, but few Point out that this was the gold standard of the Founding Fathers. Ironically, I have compared Biden and Adams before.
In vetoing the bill, Biden once again shattered any claims that he is a president who can put the public interest ahead of petty political interests.
Other Founding Fathers like Washington did not even support the creation of political parties, let alone the original partisan actions of the president. In fact, Biden is exactly what Washington wants to avoid when talking about political partisanship:
“…perhaps from time to time responding to popular purposes…cunning, ambitious, unprincipled men will be able to subvert the power of the people, and usurp for themselves the powers of government…”
Biden’s actions are a disgrace. Our courts are flooded with litigation, leaving parties without any resolution for years. In 2004, the number of cases pending for more than three years in local courts was 18,280. This year there are 81,617.
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If justice delayed is justice denied, our court system will become a tar pit of injustice, with litigants going without judgment or relief for years.
Every responsible independent group in the region supports this bill as vital to supporting and preserving our legal system. The White House opposed the bill until Democrats lost the election. (Some Republicans also didn’t express support until after the election).
Before the election, both Democrats and Republicans supported the bill, a rare display of bipartisanship. Biden subsequently vetoed the bill because he did not want Republicans to appoint new judges (even though new judgeships would be added over the course of the decade).
In vetoing the bill, Biden once again shattered any claims that he is a president who can put the public interest ahead of petty political interests. His presidency ended in cynical, obstructionist fashion.
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Still, Ryan and others on the far left applauded the bill because it’s exactly what they want to see from the president.
It’s one thing to abandon any sense of integrity or responsibility, but do us a favor: leave the founders out of the equation.
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