Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) criticized the Supreme Court as "brazenly corrupt and brazenly political" while defending President Biden over reports that Biden described the high court as "out of kilter" during the star-studded fundraiser held on Saturday.
In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Senator Chris Murphy staunchly defended President Biden's critique of the Supreme Court, emphasizing its necessity in the current political climate.
Murphy affirmed that it is "absolutely" appropriate for Biden to criticize the Court, asserting, "I think it would be irresponsible for the President not to talk about the fact that this Court is becoming brazenly corrupt and brazenly political." He underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in the judicial system, suggesting that the Court's actions warrant scrutiny.
Addressing concerns about the judiciary's integrity, Murphy stressed that the American people have a crucial role in addressing these issues through the upcoming elections. He called on Congress to take proactive measures, urging lawmakers to pass a code of ethical conduct to safeguard the judiciary's impartiality.
"It's up to the American people, this election, to do something about that," Murphy stated, emphasizing the urgency for legislative action before ethical breaches become irreparable. His comments reflect broader calls within the Democratic Party for judicial reform amid escalating concerns over the Supreme Court's perceived politicization.
Highlighting a few incidents, Murphy quoted them as indicative of a "crisis" within the Supreme Court.
"I think there's a crisis on the court, especially concerning Justice Alito and Justice Thomas. What Justice Thomas is involved in is essentially a grift. He's aligned with a significant political figure outside the court who clearly has political and business interests, essentially influencing a Justice," Murphy stated. "Justice Alito openly demonstrates his association with political causes in public."
The interview coincides with increasing calls for Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from upcoming cases concerning the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and the 2020 presidential election. These calls stem from reports that two flags linked to the movement supporting former President Trump's post-2020 election efforts were displayed outside Justice Alito's residence. Despite these calls for recusal, Justice Alito has declined to step aside from these cases.
Shortly after the 2020 election, Alito flew an upside-down American flag, a symbol historically used to signal distress that was also used by those protesting former Trump's loss and that later became associated with the "Stop the Steal" movement, which tried to prevent the transfer of presidential power based on false claims of election fraud.
And in 2023 at his vacation home in New Jersey, he flew an "Appeal to Heaven" flag — which though it has origins in the Revolutionary War, has more recently served as a call for a conservative, Biblical-centered government and was spotted in the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Earlier too, Murphy dismissed claims by the supreme court justice, Samuel Alito, that the Senate has "no authority" to create a code of conduct for the court as "stunningly wrong". Murphy had then went on to criticize the nine-member Supreme Court's conservative supermajority. He accused Alito and the court's other conservatives of seeing "themselves as politicians" rather than impartial jurists.
