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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDems eye 'audacious' secret plan to oust entire blue state Supreme Court: report
Given the outrageous ruling by SCOTUS, the GO P actions taken in Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, these steps are appropriate. The GOP cannot claim clean hands given the steps taken by SCOTUS and these states.
Dems eye 'audacious' secret plan to oust entire blue state Supreme Court: report
— br00t4c (@br00t4c.bsky.social) 2026-05-10T19:51:47.254Z
DO IT! Get creatove Dems. No shame. No "but my precious decorum". Fight. The. Fascists. #Virginia
www.rawstory.com/virginia-red...
https://www.rawstory.com/virginia-redistricting-2676875271/
During a private Saturday call that included Virginia's Democratic House delegation and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), lawmakers vented over Friday's ruling and floated what The New York Times described as "an audacious and possibly far-fetched idea" to replace every sitting justice and reinstate their map, according to a Sunday report.
The scheme includes lowering the mandatory judicial retirement age from 75 to 54 the age of the youngest current justice forcing all seven off the bench. Virginia judges are appointed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, which could then stack the court with friendly replacements.
"The conversation reflected the desperation and fury that have gripped the party after the state Supreme Court struck down a favorable map that had been ratified by voters," the Times wrote, calling the mass ouster the "most dramatic idea they discussed."
The idea reportedly drew "mixed reactions" on the call, and Democrats did not land on a path forward. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has not been briefed, her spokeswoman told the Times. Former Rep. James Moran (D-VA) warned the gambit would be "just a bridge too far" and could backfire.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), who was on the call, told the Times he supports doing whatever is necessary, adding: "Everyone has got to have a strong stomach right now; this is a complete disaster waiting to happen if people are timid."
Scrivener7
(60,039 posts)bamagal62
(4,548 posts)Raven123
(7,880 posts)This is serious stuff with significant ramifications. The reason for making public such discussions at this point escapes me.
JohnQFunk
(497 posts)It's time for gloves-off, ruthless escalation.
In the words of advice from Jim Malone, the beat cop in Brian de Palma's 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨, to Eliot Ness, "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."
They stack the House delegation, we nuke the State 'Supremo Crime Family'.
And - oh yes - that's what we call the ousted judges. Along with the six fascists on the US Supreme Court.
MichMan
(17,361 posts)Baitball Blogger
(52,688 posts)This era in our history is not for wimps.
dalton99a
(95,145 posts)FBaggins
(28,739 posts)The state supreme court would (likely unanimously) block such a move... and there's a nonzero chance that SCOTUS would take a shot at it too.
It's just a trial balloon to show the base "we're fighting this with every tool at our disposal!"
scipan
(3,098 posts)Not sure about the timing.
FBaggins
(28,739 posts)And the courts are the ones that decide.
Initech
(109,189 posts)MichMan
(17,361 posts)Would it violate any state or federal laws on age discrimination?
EdmondDantes_
(2,028 posts)That's at best a bad plan. And that's before accounting for it's not actually "necessary" to get a majority in the House. And doesn't make us look like we're not just as petty and partisan above country as Republicans.
Liberal In Texas
(16,401 posts)If we don't start fighting as dirty as they are, we're going to lose this country.
Don't forget. Krasnov has concentration camp warehouses ready to go and they're building more all the time.
EdmondDantes_
(2,028 posts)There's nothing to save if we destroy ourselves to stop them.
Liberal In Texas
(16,401 posts)The people I've heard/seen who aren't happy with the party are the ones who think we're not fighting hard enough.
To go along to get along hasn't worked too well so far.
LetMyPeopleVote
(181,686 posts)This is disappointing
The states Democrats have decided against forcing resignations on the state Supreme Court to preserve their redistricting. Funny how Republicans always find a way, and Democrats dont.
Link to tweet
https://newrepublic.com/article/210250/trump-virginia-dems-redistricting-war
The decisionwhich nixes a complicated idea, discussed over the weekend by Democrats, to replace the state Supreme Court and get the case reheardis likely to anger rank-and-file Democrats who had hoped the party would respond aggressively to the ruling, which has made it more likely that Republicans hold the House this fall.
The decision also contrasts sharply with moves undertaken by many GOP state legislatures in the South, who are aggressively gerrymandering their states with wild abandon to erase decades-old majority-majority seats from existence, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key Voting Rights Act protection against racial gerrymanders.
As a practical matter, Virginias state Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said in an interview, the move would not be capable of being implemented given the time frame.
The decision effectively kills off hopes of getting back the four House seats that Democrats had moved into their column by pulling off a victory in last months referendum, which redrew the states House map. Last week, the state Supreme Court struck down the new map, wiping away that potential four-seat gain.