Coons: ‘Hundreds’ of Trump’s Lower Court Judges Shouldn’t ‘Be Allowed to Sit Peaceably’

MADDOW Joining us now ░░░░░░░░ a member of the ░░░░░░░░ Judiciary Committee Delaware senator ░░░░░░░░ Coons Senator Coons it ░░░░░░░░ a real pleasure to ░░░░░░░░ you here tonight Thanks ░░░░░░░░ much for joining us ░░░░░░░░ Thanks Rachel It s ░░░░░░░░ a tough night and ░░░░░░░░ m grateful for a ░░░░░░░░ to be on this ░░░░░░░░ So I know that ░░░░░░░░ did everything they felt ░░░░░░░░ could including as many ░░░░░░░░ tactics as they could ░░░░░░░░ to this process up ░░░░░░░░ and including working through ░░░░░░░░ weekend going into closed ░░░░░░░░ doing everything possible But ░░░░░░░░ said tonight on the ░░░░░░░░ floor I fear we ░░░░░░░░ a nation have not ░░░░░░░░ reckoned with the impact ░░░░░░░░ a 6 3 conservative ░░░░░░░░ will have on so ░░░░░░░░ aspects of our lives ░░░░░░░░ that the process part ░░░░░░░░ this is over and ░░░░░░░░ hypocrisy part of this ░░░░░░░░ over and this is ░░░░░░░░ what are your biggest ░░░░░░░░ about the court as ░░░░░░░░ will now be constituted ░░░░░░░░ a Justice Barrett on ░░░░░░░░ right flank COONS Well ░░░░░░░░ first Justice Barrett within ░░░░░░░░ couple of weeks is ░░░░░░░░ to have a chance ░░░░░░░░ weigh in on the ░░░░░░░░ that President Trump said ░░░░░░░░ most wanted from her ░░░░░░░░ the Affordable Care Act ░░░░░░░░ case is being heard ░░░░░░░░ two weeks from tomorrow ░░░░░░░░ his taxes and shielding ░░░░░░░░ from accountability hat case ░░░░░░░░ be heard this month ░░░░░░░░ quite possibly handing him ░░░░░░░░ election by refusing to ░░░░░░░░ our votes in appeals ░░░░░░░░ the Supreme Court that ░░░░░░░░ were just discussing a ░░░░░░░░ moments ago So very ░░░░░░░░ right upfront we ll ░░░░░░░░ a couple of ways ░░░░░░░░ which Justice Barrett if ░░░░░░░░ does sit and hear ░░░░░░░░ things may well change ░░░░░░░░ arc of our history ░░░░░░░░ as I pointed out ░░░░░░░░ my questioning of then ░░░░░░░░ Barrett on the Judiciary ░░░░░░░░ there s over 120 ░░░░░░░░ over recent years over ░░░░░░░░ decades where Justice Ginsburg ░░░░░░░░ in the majority and ░░░░░░░░ Scalia in the minority ░░░░░░░░ a 5 4 decision ░░░░░░░░ Rachel they covered an ░░░░░░░░ range of things from ░░░░░░░░ rights to LGBTQ rights ░░░░░░░░ environmental protection to Native ░░░░░░░░ rights to criminal defense ░░░░░░░░ to the ways in ░░░░░░░░ consumers are protected Judge ░░░░░░░░ now Justice Barrett convinced ░░░░░░░░ from her writings and ░░░░░░░░ questioning of her that ░░░░░░░░ has a view of ░░░░░░░░ law that s to ░░░░░░░░ right of Justice Scalia ░░░░░░░░ thought it was powerfully ░░░░░░░░ chillingly symbolic that she ░░░░░░░░ Justice Thomas to symbolically ░░░░░░░░ her in tonight on ░░░░░░░░ steps of the White ░░░░░░░░ treating the White House ░░░░░░░░ a sound stage for ░░░░░░░░ latest episode of the ░░░░░░░░ reality TV show Re ░░░░░░░░ Theater because it s ░░░░░░░░ Thomas the farthest right ░░░░░░░░ who has repeatedly said ░░░░░░░░ should look back and ░░░░░░░░ all sorts of cases ░░░░░░░░ like for example Obergefell ░░░░░░░░ millions of Americans have ░░░░░░░░ their lives on and ░░░░░░░░ moved forward in reliance ░░░░░░░░ to cases decades ago ░░░░░░░░ Griswold V Connecticut that ░░░░░░░░ asked her about and ░░░░░░░░ wouldn t answer that ░░░░░░░░ the foundation of privacy ░░░░░░░░ Rachel I m really ░░░░░░░░ about just how much ░░░░░░░░ will mean in ways ░░░░░░░░ are just now beginning ░░░░░░░░ confront MADDOW And this ░░░░░░░░ in the process Senator ░░░░░░░░ as you say difficult ░░░░░░░░ for you and your ░░░░░░░░ in the Senate who ░░░░░░░░ try to do everything ░░░░░░░░ to stop this from ░░░░░░░░ what do you say ░░░░░░░░ to Democrats and I ░░░░░░░░ liberals and centrists across ░░░░░░░░ country who are enraged ░░░░░░░░ what has happened here ░░░░░░░░ Obama being denied the ░░░░░░░░ to appoint a nominee ░░░░░░░░ the court even when ░░░░░░░░ picked somebody quite moderate ░░░░░░░░ as a way to ░░░░░░░░ to appeal to Republicans ░░░░░░░░ their sense of fair ░░░░░░░░ Mitch McConnell essentially engineering ░░░░░░░░ vacancies on this court ░░░░░░░░ President Trump to fill ░░░░░░░░ the kinds of radical ░░░░░░░░ that s ahead You ░░░░░░░░ tonight that Republicans are ░░░░░░░░ over a dangerous precipice ░░░░░░░░ do you say to ░░░░░░░░ who want some kind ░░░░░░░░ retribution or want to ░░░░░░░░ to even this out ░░░░░░░░ given what the Republicans ░░░░░░░░ done COONS First Rachel ░░░░░░░░ than anything else get ░░░░░░░░ and go out and ░░░░░░░░ because before we have ░░░░░░░░ chance to talk about ░░░░░░░░ else Joe Biden and ░░░░░░░░ Harris have to win ░░░░░░░░ presidential vice presidential election ░░░░░░░░ a clear and big ░░░░░░░░ If it is razor ░░░░░░░░ some of the ways ░░░░░░░░ which they re going ░░░░░░░░ gain it out may ░░░░░░░░ the Republicans through this ░░░░░░░░ conservative majority to still ░░░░░░░░ this election So before ░░░░░░░░ else go out and ░░░░░░░░ And if you re ░░░░░░░░ a state where frankly ░░░░░░░░ s not going to ░░░░░░░░ the presidential election or ░░░░░░░░ new Senate majority call ░░░░░░░░ friends call your classmates ░░░░░░░░ mail or text Do ░░░░░░░░ thing you ve been ░░░░░░░░ to do but haven ░░░░░░░░ quite gotten around to ░░░░░░░░ out to that friend ░░░░░░░░ think might stay home ░░░░░░░░ the polls or try ░░░░░░░░ help persuade that family ░░░░░░░░ who you think in ░░░░░░░░ gut might just consider ░░░░░░░░ for Trump again Do ░░░░░░░░ first And then second ░░░░░░░░ ve got to have ░░░░░░░░ wide open conversation about ░░░░░░░░ do we rebalance our ░░░░░░░░ Yes the two Supreme ░░░░░░░░ cases that have been ░░░░░░░░ where these processes that ░░░░░░░░ just wildly hypocritical have ░░░░░░░░ used to jam through ░░░░░░░░ nominees But we ve ░░░░░░░░ to look at our ░░░░░░░░ as a whole because ░░░░░░░░ ve seen hundreds of ░░░░░░░░ judges put on circuit ░░░░░░░░ and district courts all ░░░░░░░░ this country in the ░░░░░░░░ four years in many ░░░░░░░░ too young too unqualified ░░░░░░░░ too far right to ░░░░░░░░ allowed to sit peaceably ░░░░░░░░ our re examining the ░░░░░░░░ the results and the ░░░░░░░░ MADDOW Delaware U S ░░░░░░░░ Chris Coons Sir I ░░░░░░░░ this is just a ░░░░░░░░ time for a lot ░░░░░░░░ different reasons but thank ░░░░░░░░ for taking time to ░░░░░░░░ us explain this all ░░░░░░░░ Thank you so much ░░░░░░░░ COONS: “Thank you, Rachel.”