Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) voiced his support for expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices and lamented his defense of Clarence Thomas during the conservative justice’s confirmation in 1991.
In an appearance on NBC News’s Meet the Press, the Democratic kingmaker leaned into some of the more controversial proposals of the Democratic Party’s left flank, including the unprecedented move of adding Supreme Court justices to dilute the influence of conservatives. When asked about former Vice President Kamala Harris’s proposal to raise the number of justices to 13, he agreed.
“I think that we are in a position now that calls for some significant actions taken by the Congress, and we ought to expand. And 13 is a pretty good number. A baker’s dozen would be a good number to have on the court, and I would hope we would get people on the court who will follow the constitutional underpinnings of this great nation of ours,” he said.
“We have now a Supreme Court that has decided to reverse course and take this country back,” Clyburn added.
Earlier in the interview, the South Carolina Democrat voiced his regret for having supported Thomas during the justice’s contentious confirmation hearing in 1991.
“You know, I have made mistakes in my life, and that’s one that I made, and I will own up to that mistake. The fact of the matter is, I had faith and confidence in the fact that his background and experiences would instruct him in his professionalism, especially sitting on the bench,” he said.
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“I thought that he would follow those court decisions that upheld the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act. I had no idea that Clarence Thomas would rebel the way he has against his own background and experiences,” Clyburn added.
Expanding the Supreme Court, long too great a taboo, has gotten increased support in recent years from the Democratic Party’s left wing as it looks to offset the conservative hold on the court. Leading figures in the party have increasingly entertained these demands as the progressive wing of the party has grown.