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Former Senator Who Resigned Over Groping Scandal Says Supreme Court Is 'Illegitimate'

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 04, 2023 2:00 PM

Some people need to call it a day. No one goes to OJ Simpson to deliver commentary on high-profile murder cases. Members of Congress who have resigned in disgrace shouldn’t be given a platform to comment on the institutional integrity of our government. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t—it’s unseemly. But the Left has no shame, so let’s get on with what former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) had to say about the Supreme Court. It’s in keeping with other criticisms lobbed at the justices from his side of the aisle. They’re mad that this third branch isn’t a rubber stamp on their illiberal agenda items. Franken called the Court “illegitimate” and pegged, of all people, Chief Justice John Roberts as being more of a villain than he lets on; Roberts has consistently frustrated conservatives with his rulings (via The Hill): 

“The court is a very divisive entity now, institution right now. And the Supreme Court, to me, is illegitimate,” Franken said on “The Al Franken Podcast” in conversation with The Washington Post’s Dan Balz.

Former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is calling the Supreme Court “illegitimate” and Chief Justice John Roberts a “villain,” citing a number of controversies surrounding the nation’s highest court.

 Franken resigned from the Senate in 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations. 

He referenced the controversial confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump nominee, and the court’s decision last summer to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

“The way they didn’t take up [Obama nominee Merrick] Garland and on saying, ‘It’s an election year,’ and then they, of course, put in Coney Barrett like eight days before the election. Then, of course, Dobbs and abortion.” 

[…]

“I think the Chief Justice is actually much more culpable for this division than people think,” Franken said, referencing some of Roberts’s decisions. “I think Roberts is much more the villain in this than people give him credit for.” 

Yes, Merrick Garland was blocked. Get over it; it was years ago. Second, let’s not pretend that Democrats would have pulled the same thing if the roles were reversed. Of course, they would. The Minnesota Democrat did resign in disgrace after he was caught up in the Me Too moment, but the Left is now gung-ho in removing Justice Clarence Thomas again because he went on vacation somewhere. Could Franken make a comeback? He hails from a blue state—it’s possible. Is smearing the institution that ensures what legislatures pass is legal the first step? Could be. Those pesky courts telling Democrats what they can and cannot do; the nerve of these black robes, right? 

If you thought Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation battle was nasty, and it was, it will pale compared to the Supreme Court battles that await us.