Alito Warns Congress Could Defund Supreme Court, Criticizes Lower Judges After 20 Years on Bench
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 13
Alito Warns Congress Could Defund Supreme Court, Criticizes Lower Judges After 20 Years on Bench
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 13
Summary
Samuel Alito said Congress could "turn off the lights" at the Supreme Court by cutting its funding, warning that such pressure would threaten judicial independence.
At a Federalist Society dinner, Alito framed the risk as part of a "concerted effort" by political actors to intimidate the court and weaken the constitutional system.
Article III protects justices' salaries from being reduced, but Alito argued lawmakers still have many other ways to try to hamstring the court's operations.
Alito also faulted some lower-court judges for issuing "unjustified" orders that obstruct presidents' policies, saying in some cases they had abused their powers.