Rep. Tlaib: We Need to Expand the Supreme Court and Impeach Justices Thomas and Alito

Tlaib: “Thank you Mr. Speaker. Juneteenth is a day of joy, a celebration of freedom and a reminder of the work that lies before us as we continue to fight for true equity and justice for our black neighbors. On Juneteenth and every day in our community, we honor the trauma and acknowledge the pain and hurt of our black Americans who fought tirelessly for their freedom and we still aren’t done. We celebrate this independence day with activists and organizers and community leaders who uplift black history and carry on the enduring struggle for justice for all.

Our country, our country right now that our own black neighbors literally built, including this very building, I’m standing in, the Capitol, yet systemic racism and discrimination continue to plague our constitutions and our communities. We see it in disparities in health care, education, housing, access to basic necessities, racism in our legal system, and economic opportunities and so much more. By providing reparations the debt owed to our black neighbors upon emancipation for enslavement and oppression we can begin Mr. Speaker to address the injustices.

I know the 12 congressional district knows that reparations are debt that our nation owes, a true acknowledgement of the pain and harm inflicted on generations of our black families. Juneteenth is a reminder of how far we’ve come, but also how far we still need to go to. This Juneteenth please join me in honoring our black neighbors as we commit to fighting for reparations, voting rights, ending police brutality, investing in black maternal health, HBCUs, and so much more.

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court is not facing an ethics crisis, it’s a corruption crisis. But it seems like that every single day, there’s new headlines about more corruption coming out of the U.S. Supreme Court. I know we need urgent action to hold these unhinged, corrupt extremists accountable. It is extremely disturbing that the United States Supreme Court, the highest court of our land, is the only court that does not have enforceable code of conduct.

Justice Thomas, which my residents call ‘Corruption Clarence has received over $4 million in 193 gifts, including multiple vacations, fought flights on private jets, helicopter rides, Mr. Speaker and yacht trips from Republican billionaire megadonors like Harlan Crowe, who actually have cases before the court. And we are supposed to expect this court to hold itself accountable? Give me a break. One of these luxury trips actually cost $500,000. And it’s not just ‘Corrupt Clarence,’ it’s Justice Alito, who has also been hit with numerous scandals recently, including accepting luxury trips, and flying insurrectionists’ ‘Stop the steal’ flags outside of his home after the attack on our U.S. Capitol.

And yet, here we go. The American people are supposed to trust him to decide the cases around January 6. And these unelected justices serving lifetime appointments, Mr. Speaker, continued, again, to strip us of our rights, shred our voting rights, got our environmental protections, our right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and sell our democracy to the highest bidder. It’s time to expand the Supreme Court. It’s time for reforms.

I know our residents in the 12th congressional district are demanding that I move with urgency on this issue. We need to enact term limits to Supreme Court justices to enforce binding code of conduct, real reforms, and expedite impeachment proceedings. These reforms are long overdue. I know Justice Thomas should have never been confirmed in the first place. We should have listened to Anita Hill. But let me be clear, Thomas and Alito needs to be impeached and removed from the bench now. Our country deserves a Supreme Court that’s acting in the best interest of the American people, not a court that is accepting bribes and doing the bidding of right-wing extremist.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the Caribbean American Heritage Month as we celebrate the contributions of our American Caribbean Americans in Michigan’s 12th congressional district and across our nation. I know the Caribbean American Heritage Month was first recognized in 2005 and this was a combination of tireless efforts of organizers that highlight the amazing contributions of Caribbean Americans.

I want to also uplift in our backyard, the Caribbean Community Service Center, an organization based right in our district that is proudly uplifting the history and continuing to celebrate that culture and our neighbors in southeastern Michigan beyond this month. So please join me in recognizing Caribbean American Heritage Month and the contributions of our Caribbean Americans across our nation and in the 12th congressional district.”