President Joe Biden does not support efforts by some Democrats to expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court, the White House announced on Saturday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified the president’s position on the issue with reporters during an Air Force One press gaggle on Saturday.
“I was asked this question yesterday, and I’ve been asked it before — and I think the President himself — about doing — about expanding the Court. That is something that the President does not agree with. That is not something that he wants to do,” Jean-Pierre said.
“There was a commission that was put together about how to potentially move forward with the Court — reform the Court. I don’t have anything more to share from any — any final decision that the President has made,” she added.
The White House secretary added additional comments regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday.
“I was talking about the popularity of how much Americans support Roe v. Wade. Never — this is the most support that Roe — Roe v. Wade has gotten ever,” Jean-Pierre stated.
“I mean, it is — it has such a majority popularity. And so for the Court to have made this extreme ruling is so out of step. It’s so out of step not only with this decision, but it’s also so out of step with the Constitution,” she noted.
On Friday, Biden shared his remarks regarding the verdict overturning the nearly half-century abortion precedent.
“Now, with Roe gone, let’s be very clear: The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” the president said.
He called the ruling “a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court, in my view.”
State laws banning abortion are taking effect today – some of them so extreme that women can be punished for protecting their own health, even in cases of rape and incest.
The health and lives of millions of women are at risk. pic.twitter.com/wRGtHGgoWp
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 24, 2022
Biden’s speech directly attacked conservative-led states with abortion “trigger” laws that further limit the procedure following the decision. 13 states have laws set to go into effect within 30 days of the ruling to restrict abortions.
“Several other states where recent antiabortion legislation has been blocked by the courts are expected to act next, with lawmakers moving to activate their dormant legislation. A handful of states also have pre-Roe abortion bans that could be brought back to life,” The Washington Post reported.
Missouri became the first state to effectively ban abortion following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R-MO) signed an opinion regarding the state’s trigger law less than one hour following the court’s announcement.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 Following the SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Missouri has just become the first in the country to effectively end abortion with our AG opinion signed moments ago. This is a monumental day for the sanctity of life. pic.twitter.com/Jphy72R4rq
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) June 24, 2022
State Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) noted on Friday that abortion is effectively illegal in Texas following the ruling.
Paxton closed his office to celebrate the decision and said he would make the date an annual holiday “as a memorial to the 70 million lives lost” because of abortion.
SCOTUS just overruled Roe & Casey, ending one of the most morally & legally corrupt eras in US history. Praise the Lord.
Abortion is now illegal in Texas.
And today I’m closing my office—and making it an annual holiday—as a memorial to the 70 million lives lost bc of abortion.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) June 24, 2022