Overview
- Kamala Harris, who proposed a “no bad idea brainstorm” Wednesday on a Win With Black Women/Emerge livestream, urged Democrats to consider expanding the Supreme Court and changing the Electoral College.
- She also called for talks on statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, multi-member House districts, and new penalties and ethics rules for Supreme Court nominees and justices.
- Harris tied the push to Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court decision limiting the use of race in drawing districts, and to recent setbacks for Democrats in redistricting cases such as a Virginia ruling.
- Following Thursday’s viral clip, House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled Democrats “institutional arsonists,” while Republicans including Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ralph Norman criticized the proposals, and Democrat Jason Crow signaled skepticism.
- The ideas remain proposals with no bills introduced, and major changes face steep hurdles, since Electoral College reform would require a constitutional amendment while court expansion and statehood would need acts of Congress that could hinge on Senate rules.