<![CDATA[stack the court]]>

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died, it created an opportunity for President Donald Trump that few others will ever get. He got to appoint three justices to the Supreme Court. That’s one-third of the people who decide the constitutionality of our laws.

It was also a body blow to gun control in this country.

After all, there’s now a firm majority on the Court that supports gun rights, as we saw with the Bruen decision.

The anti-Second Amendment groups weren’t fond of that. What’s more, they know that unless something strange happens, they’re stuck with a court like this.

So, according to a report at The Trace, they want to facilitate something weird happening.

A year after the Supreme Court upended the legal status quo on gun regulation with its landmark Bruen decision, more than a dozen gun violence prevention groups and advocates have signed on to an effort to reform the nation’s highest court.

The nationwide “Just Majority” campaign, which launched on April 24, will push for Congress to expand the court, impose term limits, and establish a binding code of ethics for justices. Over a three-month period, the campaign will tour across the U.S., ending in Washington, D.C. in June. Stops in New York, Chicago, and Newtown, Connecticut, will focus specifically on the court’s impact on gun laws and gun violence.

There are more than 30 progressive groups involved, with focuses ranging from climate change and voting access to reproductive and women’s rights. For the five gun reform groups who’ve signed on, the effort represents somewhat of a departure from the typical playbook, which has frequently centered on lobbying for specific policies and legislation on the state and federal levels.

“It’s time for the majority of Americans who support common sense gun laws to pay as much attention to the Supreme Court as the gun lobby has, and to restore balance through reforms including Supreme Court expansion,” said Fred Guttenberg, a coalition member and founder of Orange Ribbons for Jaime, named for his daughter, who was a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.

What gets me about these people is how incredibly shortsighted they are.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that there was broad support for expanding the Court–there’s not, which I’ll get into in a minute–what do you think would happen in a few years when the balance of power shifts?

If you said Republicans would just restack the Court, you’re right.

On issues like gun control, Republicans aren’t going to be content to just let a shot like this pass. They’re not going to just meekly slink away and accept their new progressive overlords. That’s not how it would work by any stretch of the imagination.

They would retaliate by also expanding the court in their favor.

What would follow is decades of back and forth with the Supreme Court as the football.

What’s also amusing is that for the people who think polling should dictate political action, there’s not even some broad groundswell of support for expanding the court. A survey from last year found a majority of Americans opposed expanding it.

Of course, this is nothing new. There’s been talk since 2020 of expanding the Court, something President Joe Biden hasn’t exactly given a lot of support to. As such, these folks can want to do it so as to embrace gun control fully, but they’re going to have to get used to disappointment.

The likelihood of the Court expanding is about on par with Fred Guttenberg joining us as a contributor here at Bearing Arms as things currently stand.

Ultimately, though, that’s good news, and not just for gun rights supporters. It’s good news for everyone.