Kansas Senate candidate Barbara Bollier says Supreme Court packing ‘not on my plate’
Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Barbara Bollier says she has no interest in working to “pack” the Supreme Court if elected, according to an interview posted Monday by Vox Media.
Bollier’s answer comes as the candidates at the top of the Democratic ticket, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — have declined to answer the question directly.
“Right now, I don’t have any interest in changing the number of Supreme Court justices. That’s just not on my plate right now,” Bollier told Vox’s Ella Nilsen. “The Supreme Court is one of our three branches of government — one of the most important institutions that we have — and we shouldn’t politicize it. It should not be politicized. And it’s been disappointing to see this rampage through, for something that’s going to last a lifetime for a person. Careful thought is important. We deserve that.”
Some Democrats believe the best response to Republicans working to quickly confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Court would be to add more justices, shifting the balance of power away from a conservative majority.
Bollier, who is running against Republican Rep. Roger Marshall, also addressed the issue of judicial appointments in an interview with The Star and Fox4 Kansas City last week.
“What I will look at as a U.S. Senator is someone’s temperament, their commitment to following the law, and of course, their record,” Bollier said. “Questions will be asked, and that will be my role, is to make sure that this person will be the best, non-politicized Supreme Court justice.”
Bollier told Vox she was more open to granting statehood to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — two territories likely to lean left. In particular, she said DC statehood “should come to the table,” citing a personal story about why that could be beneficial.
“Whether they’re a state, should those people have the right to vote for a senator and a representative?” Bollier said. “I have a son that’s in DC right now at George Washington Law School who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, specifically so that he can vote. Because why would he want to give up that right as a U.S. citizen? He wasn’t willing to do that and live in DC, even though it’d be closer. That’s a perfect example.”
Bollier, whose campaign raised $13.5 million from July through September, is looking to become the state’s first elected Democratic senator since 1932.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 1:29 PM.
