• EchoCT@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    We had 8 good years before that and didn’t set up any protections.

    • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
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      4 months ago

      During the last year of that, Obama was denied the ability to nominate a Supreme Court Justice on an Election Year. Then, Trump got 2 nominees appointed to the SCOTUS, one of which was on an election year.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          As in the Republican Senate decided they weren’t going to vote on any nominations from Obama.

          • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
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            4 months ago

            As in republicans could veto the nomination?

            Could dems veto the new justices?

            Sorry im not American and am trying to understand. I thought dems could have but chose not too due to integrity.

            • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              Ahh okay. When the President wants to nominate a new federal judge the Senate has to approve them. At the time the other party controlled the Senate. The effect was to leave the Supreme Court with an even number of Judges for a while, making tie decisions possible. They also broke their own rule once they had the Senate and Presidency. So they aren’t making arguments in good faith.

            • candybrie@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              The Senate has to confirm the president’s picks. The Republicans controlled the Senate during Obama’s last years in office. So they just didn’t confirm his pick. Their reasoning was that it was an election year. When Trump faced the same situation (supreme court vacancy in an election year), the Republicans still controlled the senate and confirmed his pick.

            • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
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              4 months ago

              How to appoint SCOTUS judges:

              1. Vacancy on Court (usually means the old Judge died)

              2. Presidential Nomination

              3. Senate votes to confirm


              How to remove judges:

              1. Impeachment hearings in congress

              2. Senate votes to remove Judge

    • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      You had the first 2 years of Obama. Obama’s thanks for the ACA was voters not showing up and losing the house of representatives for year 3 and 4. And again for year 5 and 6. And then both the house and Senate in years 7 and 8. So no you didn’t have 8 years with Obama, you had 2 years with Obama because voters did not show up. Congress is what passes laws and has power. They even shut down the freaking government under Obama.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Only Congress can increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court. We had two years of congressional majority in the last twenty. They focused on healthcare.

      How could they have possibly predicted that they’d need to expand and pack the Supreme Court to prevent the next President from becoming a dictator?

        • thallamabond@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          And even that was a monumental task. One vote away in the Senate, and that one guy got rid of the single payer option for the cost of his vote. Joe Lieberman if you want to look him up, the guy who started no labels political party (without a platform).

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        4 years, or 3 because of Scott Brown. But we just had 2 years. And Obama had 1 year.