Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Threatens Supreme Court Justices

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement rebuking Chuck Schumer for comments the Senate minority leader made about Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Schumer, speaking at a rally of abortion rights supporters, appeared to threaten Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s two Supreme Court nominees who were confirmed after bruising nomination fights.
“I want to tell you Gorsuch. I want to tell you Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” Schumer said, turning to look at the Supreme Court building.

Schumer went on to say, “The bottom line is very simple: we will stand with the American people. We will stand with American women. We will tell President Trump and Senate Republicans who have stacked the court with right-wing ideologues, that you’re gonna be gone in November and you will never be able to do what you’re trying to do now, ever, ever again. You hear that over there on the far-right? You’re gone in November.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on Wednesday night that he will try to censure Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) after remarks made toward Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

The Democratic leader earlier in the day warned that the two conservative justices would “pay the price” if they voted against abortion rights.
“I would call on Schumer to apologize, but we all know he has no shame,” Hawley tweeted. “So tomorrow I will introduce a motion to censure Schumer for his pathetic attempt at intimidation” of SCOUS.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Roberts said: “This morning, Senator Schumer spoke at a rally in front of the Supreme Court while a case was being argued inside. Senator Schumer referred to two Members of the Court by name and said he wanted to tell them that ‘You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.’ Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter.”