Western South Dakota News

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate floor today, condemning Democrats' efforts to question the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court. Thune emphasized that trust in the Supreme Court's independence is crucial and warned about the severe consequences of what he described as Democrats' unwarranted hysteria and threats directed at the court.

Thune’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, included several pointed statements: “Mr. President, Democrats made their latest move yesterday in their years-long campaign to undermine the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.”

He criticized a recent attempt by Democrats to gain unanimous consent on a "so-called Supreme Court ethics bill," describing it as an effort to influence court rulings. Thune anticipated further reactions from Democrats if upcoming decisions do not align with their preferences.

Thune remarked, “When the Supreme Court decides things Democrats’ way, we hear a lot less about the illegitimacy of the court.” He cited specific cases such as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd., where most Republican appointees sided with Democratic appointees to deliver a decision supported by Democrats.

He quoted Congresswoman Maxine Waters: “‘With this decision, our nation’s justices have decided to put consumers first and reject the baseless attacks led by extreme MAGA Republicans and greedy payday lenders.’”

Another case mentioned was Moore v. Harper, where half of Republican appointees sided with Democratic appointees in a decision embraced by Senate Democratic leaders.

Thune argued that for Democrats, legitimate court decisions are those aligning with their policy preferences and accused them of being willing to resort to intimidation and delegitimization tactics.

“This isn’t about ethics or legitimacy or concern for our democratic institutions,” Thune stated. “This is about power.”

He highlighted that during its last term, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously roughly half of the time and had at least one Democrat-appointed justice in 90 percent of majority decisions.

Thune concluded his speech by expressing concern over undermining public faith in government institutions: “The last thing we should be doing at a time of deep political divisions is shaking Americans’ faith in the legitimacy of our institutions and impartiality of the court.”

He urged both justices and Americans to disregard what he termed as baseless attempts by Democrats to delegitimize the court.

“Mr. President,” Thune said before yielding the floor, “I hope that justices and American people will tune it out.”