Since the U.S. Supreme Court officially handed down the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last Friday, overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing the states to decide their own abortion laws, we've discussed how we've come to such a decision. It's been the hard work from the pro-life movement for close to 50 years, of course. It's also thanks to Donald Trump being able to nominate so many judges during his four years in office, including three justices on the Supreme Court.
We also ought to go back further, though, as many pointed out on Twitter, with "Harry Reid" trending when the then senate majority leader in 2013 changed the filibuster rules for presidential appointees and certain judicial nominees with a vote of 52-48, something he had had in mind back in 2012.
Can't say "Thank you, Harry Reid!" often enough. Gotta say that my November 2013 post on Reid's abolition of the filibuster nailed it. https://t.co/Iax7DCSZje pic.twitter.com/8SGMpBsE3t
— Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) June 28, 2022
Also, this court is Harry Reid’s. Democrats should be regularly reminded it was the late former majority leader who went nuclear on judicial nominations. It’s the Democrats creation. We’re just living their consequences. https://t.co/41MmJoCywg
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) June 28, 2022
Dem leadership and activists act like they live in a vacuum where their actions don't have game theoretic implications
— mattparlmer ?? ?? (@mattparlmer) June 28, 2022
Progressive constituents are still paying for Harry Reid's inflated ego https://t.co/v2Xt8vdyTx
Guys, I think Harry Reid was a mole. If he hadn't nuked the judicial filibuster, Roe v Wade would still be in place
— Stone Cut Without Hands (@CutWithout) June 28, 2022
??
Has anyone thanked Harry Reid yet for getting Roe overturned?
— James Tortorelli (@jingowestern) June 28, 2022
If he hadn’t nuked the filibuster for judicial confirmations this never would have happened.
At the time, then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) opposed the move, warning Reid and Democrats that "you’ll regret this, and you may regret this a lot sooner than you think."
As promised, Democratic senators have regretted such a move, including Sens. Chris Coons (DE) and Mark Warner (VA).
In 2017, when they were the ones in the majority, Republicans moved to change the filibuster to allow Supreme Court nominees to be confirmed with a simple majority as well. This came after Democrats stubbornly threatened to filibuster now Justice Neil Gorsuch's nomination, as Guy highlighted in depth at the time.
It was because Reid opened the door in such a way that McConnell made the move to change the filibuster even further once Republicans were the ones in power.
Plenty of opinion pieces over the years, from a variety of outlets, have given Reid such credit, including those published in Roll Call, an editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and columns in the The Washington Post, as well as The Observer.
Another seemingly unlikely figure that pro-lifers have to thank and pro-aborts have to revile for this Dobbs decision? As Matt highlighted on Friday that would be the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who failed to retire from the Supreme Court when President Barack Obama was in office, thus denying him the opportunity to pick her replacement. She died in September 2020, allowing then President Trump to nominate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Again, it was because of Harry Reid setting precedence for changing the filibuster that allowed her to be confirmed with the 52 votes she received.
Having Supreme Court that we have that has given us the Dobbs decision seems to indeed be a perfect storm with a variety of factors bringing us to where we are today.