It has been taught in many middle school and high school classes that the United States government is divided into 3 equal branches: The Judiciary Branch (Supreme Court), The Executive Branch (The President) and The Legislative Branch (The House and The Senate). The Supreme Court was designed to be an impartial guardian of the Constitution in its role within the checks and balances system between the 3 branches of government.
However, recent years have shown glaring weaknesses in The Supreme Court’s structure. The Executive and Legislative branches have clear mechanisms – lines of succession and required special elections – to ensure continuity and accountability. The Supreme Court does not and therefore it remains vulnerable to unfair political manipulation. This imbalance undermines its role as a co-equal branch of government.
For the Supreme Court, an empty seat can be held up by the Senate for the purposes of weaponizing the Constitution against American Citizens. That is what happened to Merrick Garland. When Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly, President Obama appointed Merrick Garland to replace him on the Supreme Court. The Republican Senators refused to give him a confirmation hearing and purposely left that seat vacant for a year. They purposely abdicated their Constitutional duty to ensure that their political agendas were enacted, specifically their plan to overturn Roe v Wade.
When the Supreme Court overturned the 49 year precedent of Roe v Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion that MORE precedents should be overturned including Obergefell v Hodges. This decision ensured all American Citizens the right to marry who they choose, regardless of gender. Seven months after the Obergefell decision, I married my husband in front of 88 friends and family, many of whom travelled from across North America to be a part of our joy and celebration.
Now Clarence Thomas wants to take away my rights, as well as the rights of other American Citizens to marry who they choose. He did not just single out same-sex marriage. He included interracial marriage as a Constitutional right that should be repealed. For those who might not be aware, Clarence Thomas is black man married to a white woman. He does not think the Constitution protects his own marriage!
Justice Clarence Thomas has become a symbol of the Supreme Court’s failings. He has corrupted the Supreme Court with his decisions, his opinions, and he has also broken the law when it comes to years of undisclosed financial gifts that exceed a million dollars. Yet somehow I have still not mentioned the most problematic part of Clarence Thomas.
Clarence Thomas has been a sitting Justice on the Supreme Court since 1991. He was appointed by George HW Bush. In that time 5 more Presidents have come and gone as well as hundreds of Senators and Representatives. Somehow, the institutional Democrats think nothing can be done about Clarence Thomas. That is factually incorrect. Congress has the power to change the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court should be changed in these three distinct ways.
EXPANSION The Constitution does not fix the size of the Supreme Court. Over time, Congress has adjusted its size in response to the nation’s needs, ranging from six to ten Justices. Expanding the Court to 18 Justices would restore balance and ensure a diversity of perspectives that reflect our modern, complex society.
TERM LIMITS Lifetime appointments create stagnation and disconnect Justices from the evolving values of the country. An 18-year term limit would bring fresh perspectives to the Court, ensuring it remains dynamic and responsive to the people it serves. The 18-year terms would be staggered for all 18 Justices so that every year, at the end of the annual term for the Supreme Court, the President and the Senate are REQUIRED to pick one new Supreme Court Justice.
REPRESENTATION The current Supreme Court lacks true geographic diversity. 5 of the 9 current sitting Justices either previously served as a Judge on the D.C Courts or, in Justice Elena Kagan’s case, a former D.C. Solicitor General. America is bigger than just D.C.
This narrow perspective is inadequate for a country as large and diverse as ours. The House and The Senate are set up in such a way that ensures all of the country, geographically, has a voice in our democracy. The Supreme Court should do the same.
To ensure that the Supreme Court is more representative, I propose replacing the current 12 Circuit Courts of Appeals with 18 Sector Courts of Appeals from smaller geographic areas. This reform would not only balance perspectives on the Supreme Court but also improve the judiciary’s ability to address local and regional issues effectively.
The 18 Sector Courts – and the states within each Sector – would be as follows:
The New England Sector – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island
The Eastern Sector – New York and New Jersey
The Colonial Sector – Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth Sector – Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia
The Great Lakes Sector – Indiana, Michigan and Ohio
The Great Valley Sector – North Carolina and Tennessee
The Atlantic Sector – Georgia and South Carolina (as well as the territory of Puerto Rico)
The Tropical Sector – Florida
The Northern Sector – Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin
The River Valley Sector – Arkansas, Iowa and Missouri
The Gulf Coast Sector – Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi
The Great Plains Sector – Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota
The Mountain Sector – Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming
The Southern Sector – Texas
The Pacific Sector – Alaska, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington
The Desert Sector – Arizona, Nevada and Utah
The Western Sector – California
The Capital Sector – D.C. and all United States cases
These reforms—expansion, term limits, and better representation—will restore balance and rebuild trust in one of our most critical democratic institutions. Without making changes, the Constitutional rights of more American Citizens are in danger. I am running for the House of Representatives to build a new Supreme Court that actually gives a damn about following the law and protecting people.
