Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden signaled on Thursday night that he was open to adding seats to the Supreme Court depending on how the Senate GOP’s rushed confirmation process of SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett plays out.
During Biden’s town hall on ABC News, moderator George Stephanopoulos pressed the Democrat on court expansion, of which he has previously said he was “not a fan.”
Biden told Stephanopoulos that his position “depends” on how the process is “handled” by Senate Republicans as they aim to ram through Barrett’s confirmation before the election on November 3.
“It depends on how much they rush this,” he said, also jabbing at GOP senators for fixating on filling late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat instead of working on COVID-19 relief.
“If they vote on it before the election, you are open to expanding the court?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“I’m open to considering what happens from that point on,” the Democratic candidate replied.
Biden pledged to formally announce his stance on the issue before Election Day, stating that voters “have a right to know where I stand.”
“And they’ll have a right to know where I stand before they vote,” he told Stephanopoulos.
