– Our rights are at stake – VG

A change in the structure of the Supreme Court has become highly relevant after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week.

– We have a problem in the United States with the politicization of the courts. We must ensure that we do not live forever in an environment where there is a fierce ideological battle every time there is a vacant judge position, says the former presidential candidate for the Democrats in this telephone interview with VG.

Correct enough after first wishing a good day, and told him that everything is fine with him, even in Norwegian sound. Pete Buttigieg learned Norwegian after reading one of Erlend Loe’s books.

But these days there are other things besides Norwegian and Erlend Loe that he spends his time on. Right now, the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice after the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the big issue in America. Republicans and Democrats are arguing loudly over who should be able to appoint a new judge. The incumbent president, or Donald Trump and Joe Biden winning the election, which is just a few weeks away.

– I don’t think anyone really likes the way this tends to degenerate, says Buttigieg about the ideological battle that is unfolding now.

Commentary: Ruth Bader Ginsburg carried a whole world on her shoulders

Such was the plan

He believes that the United States has a number of structural problems that have made the country less democratic than it should have been. That was the reason why he launched a reform plan for the Supreme Court during the primary election campaign.

Ultimately, it was about expanding the field from 9 to 15 members. Ten of them should be elected for life, as is the case today. Of these, five were to be associated each with the two parties. Then these 10 must elect the last five together, who must be independent of the party and only have to sit for one year at a time, but be chosen two years in advance, to avoid being chosen based on the issues they face. you were supposed to pose. court.

– I think it will be important to tackle these problems in the coming years.

In modern times, according to Standford Politics, judges appointed by Democratic presidents have increasingly been seen to agree, and ideologically in line with, the president who appointed them, and that the same is true of those appointed by Republican presidents, rather than interpreting the constitution regardless of political position.

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Not surprised

But while “Mayor Pete,” as he was named after serving as mayor of the small town of South Bend, Indiana, believes that a reform of the Supreme Court is necessary, he now has other more immediate concerns as President Trump and leader of the Senate Majority Republican Mitch McConnell do what you can to appoint a new Supreme Court Justice before the Nov. 3 election.

With a new conservative judge, the majority will be 6-3 in his favor, against 5-4 before Bader Ginsburg’s death.

– Our rights are at stake. My marriage, for example, was only made possible by a majority of a vote in the Supreme Court. There is a reason why it is so important to me and millions of Americans that the next president has the opportunity to appoint a new justice to the Supreme Court, says the 38-year-old woman, who is married to a man.

He is one of those who is now trying to hold Republicans accountable for what they said in 2016, when McConnell defended the principle that the people must first choose their president before the president selects his candidate.

Being in power in the Senate, they managed to prevent the Obama candidate from being installed at that time. Now, the vast majority of Republicans in the Senate say this time is different because both the president and the majority in the Senate come from the same party.

Buttigieg doesn’t buy that argument. After all, the majority in the Senate can also change after the election.

– But to be honest, I am not very surprised by double standards. They have thrown their principles out the window. It is important for us to point this out.

Fear of court politics

He believes it will be especially important to ensure that those hoping to be elected to the state Senate with tips understand the message from the Democrats:

– What we must emphasize is that voters now understand that they risk losing health care and other rights based on what these senators do. And that Mitch McConnell has failed to get the Senate to come up with an answer to the corona virus, but is now reacting with lightning speed when it comes to his ideological agenda.

But do you see any chance that Democrats can stop McConnell and Trump now?

– Ultimately, of course, it will depend on the votes in the Senate. This case shows that elections have consequences.

– What are you afraid of in the next few years with a conservative majority of 6-3?

– That there will be a lot of court politics that will prevent the necessary changes in our country. The next president will face challenges we may not have seen since Franklin D. Roosevelt came to power during the Great Depression. It will take courage in many matters. It will be much more difficult if it is repeatedly blocked by a court that makes political decisions from the far right.

Optimistic

Democrats now hope that at least something good can come out of Trump and McConnell’s hasty efforts to get a new judge.

– What I do know is that the Democratic Party is very excited right now. It is literally about our rights and our freedom. This is a powerful reminder of what is at stake.

– Does that mean you are optimistic on behalf of Joe Biden and the opportunity to take the majority in the Senate?

– I think so. Just a few months ago when I was campaigning, it seemed very difficult to turn the Senate around. Now it is at your fingertips. Which will be absolutely crucial to the chances a future President Biden has to get things done, Buttigieg says.

He grimly looks at possibly four new years with Donald Trump in the White House.

– Then we will be in trouble when it comes to our response to the economic crisis and the health crisis in which we are in the middle. We may lose our last chance to stop climate change. The other thing that worries me is the damage it is doing to our reputation internationally. Great damage has already been done, but it could be permanent.

Trump, for his part, believes that everything will be decided in the Supreme Court.

– Then it is important that we have a court with nine judges, said the president on Wednesday.

With eight judges, in such a scenario, there is a risk that they will vote 4-4 and therefore not have a decision. In that case, the decision of the lower court will stand.

Can be quiet again

After realizing that he did not want to be the Democratic presidential candidate and withdrew from the primary election campaign, the 38-year-old has started his own political action committee, called WinTheEra.

His main focus is all elections except the presidential ones. In November, a third of the Senate will go to the polls, the entire House of Representatives and a series of local elections in the different states.

– The idea of ​​WinTheEra is to participate in elections that do not receive the same attention as a presidential election. In the United States, there is a lot of power to control state congresses and authorities at the local level, says Buttigieg.

When asked if he himself has plans to run for new elections at some level, he reveals that it is not inconceivable.

– I have no such plans right now. Now I want to do what I can to support the Biden / Harris administration, but what the future holds is hard to say.