Rick Santorum: I Would Eliminate The 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012, would do away with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals if he was elected to the White House, he said Wednesday.

Speaking to small gathering of Tea Party members in South Carolina, Santorum said he thinks the federal government's judicial branch had obtained too much power.

From the Myrtle Beach Sun News:

"The courts were supposed to be the most insignificant branch of the government," he said. Congress has the power and the right to declare what is constitutional or not, he said, and added that since Congress created all of the courts, other than the Supreme Court, it has the power to disband them.

If such a measure were to be passed and arrive on "President" Santorum's desk, the former senator said, he wouldn't hesitate to sign it.

"I would sign a bill tomorrow to eliminate the 9th Circuit [Court of Appeals]. That court is rogue. It's a pox on the western part of our country," Santorum said, according to the Sun News.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is the largest circuit, based on the West Coast. It covers suits in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington and is commonly cited by conservatives as a liberal body, due to its relatively high proportion of Democratic appointees and the frequency with which the Supreme Court overturns its rulings.

Not everyone agrees with that contention, however. According to a report from The New York Times last year:

Tom Goldstein, an expert on the Supreme Court, said there was "no evidence of the Ninth Circuit being out of control or of the Supreme Court thinking it is out of control." He said that there were "old-school, Carter-era liberal appointees on that court who are out of step with the current Supreme Court and are quite strong willed." He added that those judges "get a lot of attention from the justices" of a Supreme Court that has itself moved significantly to the right over the years.

 

 

Comments

[leorangerie]

02:06 PM on 03/21/2011

The ninth circuit is a national embarrassment. According to the Supreme Court of the US. Their last overturned ruling was called 'inexplicable' but ALL SEVEN JUSTICES.

[freedom4allau]

10:20 AM on 02/18/2011

They conveniently forget that Judge Vaughn Walker was placed on the bench by their messiah, Ronald Reagan.

[BigSlick674]

02:25 AM on 02/11/2011

He'll never get the opportunity

[ThinkTwiceWriteOnce]

04:55 PM on 02/08/2011

What...stacking SCOTUS wasn't enough fo you?

[bkerensa]

05:40 PM on 02/06/2011

Well lets not stop their lets start disbanding all the federal courts? What a fool... the reason he wants to get rid of the 9th Circuit is because they don't make favorable decisions for the Republican Party.

[cla65]

02:40 PM on 02/06/2011

Might as well get rid of them. Everything they've been spitting out lately is getting overturned. What a waste of money!!

[hopeisalive]

08:00 PM on 02/05/2011

So the current hopefuls for the GOP in 2012 include Mr. Santorum, Ms. Palin, Ms. Bachmann, Mr. Romney, Mr. Pawlenty and Mr. Hucabey. We have four of the TEA Party variety: Mr. Santorum, Ms Palin, Ms. Bachmann and Mr. Pawlenty---Mr. Pence too, but he did say no---each has enough bagage to drown in the Independent and Progressive side of things and the TEA group won't be able to keep them afloat in a national election. Mr. Romney has his signature Health Care in Massachesuttes that will be an albatross around his neck with the TEA Party. So that leaves the Reverend Huckabey. He was a govenor of Arkansas a good while ago, but that won't cost to much. He will still hold most of the TEA Party, but his reach out to the other side from time to time will hurt him. Provided that things in the economy continue upward and unemployment downward, Mr. Obama should do well. I also believe that the Party of No will screw up and continue what they did from 1996-2006 as that is what they are accustomed to.

[GreenKate]

10:36 PM on 02/05/2011

Mrs. Huckabee is a problem. Decidedly not ready for prime time. If he runs we will see that video of her chewing out that traffic cop over and over again.

[Modest1981]

07:40 PM on 02/05/2011

How is it that anyone takes this guy seriously?

[freedom4allau]

10:21 AM on 02/18/2011

Educated people don't - the others well..........

[SUIGENEROUSLA]

05:06 PM on 02/05/2011

Those judges have lifetime appointments and constitutionally neither the congress nor the executive branch can change the organization of the judicial branch. The three branches are "co-equal". Every one who has been through middle school civics knows that. This man is as dumb as a rock!

[Carla E Johnson]

04:46 AM on 02/06/2011

Exactly! And if these judges are so corrupt than y not see them to jail
?? Isn't that were criminals go?? Santorum should know there are two judges in his state one if which confessed to illegally jailing kids for cash! He I'd not dumb but sly like a fox!

[Pat Mulligan]

05:14 AM on 02/06/2011

Give Article's III and IV of the Constitution a read. Congress CREATED the federal courts, and can reorganize or eliminate them at any time, at it's pleasure. How do you think we got 11 regional appeals courts in the first place? Dumb luck? The Supreme Court is the only constitutionally-mandated federal court. The federal district courts are the purview of congress.

[Julie Riggs]

08:47 PM on 02/04/2011

Mr. Santorum,

I am extremely grateful you were voted out of office. I have a lawsuit pending in the 9th Circuit (Riggs v. MySpace et al) and I'm glad the 9th Circuit doesn't back down to Corporate America, the Religious Right and Republicans / Tea Party extremists. Btw, I'm also gay. I imagine that you're upset about DADT. The 9th Circuit isn't "rogue" it's fair. I think McDonald's has job openings if you're interested. The PA tax payers spent enough on your kids going to private schools. Please try to see how real people live.

[scott456]

07:15 PM on 02/04/2011

I love the irony here. He says that the ninth circuit has too much power, so he would eliminate it. Isn't that a little too much power for a politician to have, eliminating an entire district of the federal court system?

[pakaal]

07:13 PM on 02/04/2011

"The courts were supposed to be the most insignificant branch of the government"

One of the most fundamental concepts to ensuring no branch of US government was powerful than any other, was the concept of three equal, balanced branches; judicial, legislative and executive. (Throw in the Media as "Fourth Column" if you want)

Santorum has just self-deselected himself from the "Do You Think You're Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" running.

[GraniteSkyline]

06:56 PM on 02/04/2011

Dream big Frothy Mixture! Tell us about the unicorns too!

[Christopher Millsap]

06:46 PM on 02/04/2011

Delusional. Congress Legislatures and Appropriates. It is not stated in the Constitution that they decide what is constitutional. It also does not have articles for taking down a court it disagrees with once it's been created.

[BeasleysMom]

06:45 PM on 02/04/2011

I am so tired of these conservatives who don't like anything about America. These folks want to repeal and change everything that makes America a wonderful place to live. They want to take away peoples rights and ruin our judicial system and our election system. Seems to me if they find so much fault here perhaps they could buy a piece of land in the Middle East and start their own country and leave the rest of us who love America alone.

[Pat Mulligan]

05:18 AM on 02/06/2011

Kind of an ironic argument since it's the liberals who want to eliminate the constitutionally-mandated electoral college and strip 2nd amendment rights away from folks.

[BeasleysMom]

10:28 AM on 02/06/2011

Your ig nor ance is beyond astonishing. You cannot provide a SINGLE incidence of any of that happening recognized by any credible source of information. Turn off Fox and step away slowly from the TV.