YET ANOTHER ‘DRAFT FINAL REPORT’

“What do you read, my lord?” — Polonius

“Words, words, words.”

— Hamlet

This calls for immediate discussion! When the progressives pushed President Joe Biden on changing the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, the chief executive formed a commission. Which might have been the best decision he’s made as president. For it quieted the issue for months, while doing exactly nothing. Which is exactly what the situation called for: Don’t just do something, sit there!

Here is the lede from the Bloomberg story on the (non)event last week when any (non)suggestions were (not) made: “President Joe Biden’s study commission on the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously approved a draft final report Tuesday that, by design, makes no recommendations on the kind of fundamental changes liberals say are needed.”

Whew.

This was a “draft final report.” So the draft was the last word? The final was a draft? Sounds like a government operation.

And it was a “study commission” as opposed to a regular commission. Which sounds like it was never meant to do anything anyway. Again, sounds like a government operation.

But it was unanimously approved by commissioners that, reports say, had “profound disagreements.” Why, of course. If you have a document that says nothing at all, then everybody can be on board with what it says. This is definitely a government operation.

[Former ADG editorial page editor] Paul Greenberg used to say that there were only two things written by a committee that were ever worth a hoot: The King James Bible and the United States Constitution. And both of those were inspired by God. It’s not likely, he sometimes added, that He has the time to get involved with other group writings. (Which is one reason this newspaper doesn’t have an editorial board.)

After conservatives became the majority on the Supreme Court, then it was past time to overhaul the whole judicial branch, doncha know. Why, imagine conservatives having a few years running the nation’s highest court. Can’t have it.

So progressives started talking about packing the court with more members, the better to allow the current president to overwhelm Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett — and sometimes Chief Justice John Roberts, depending on his mood — with those of a more progressive mind. Or at least a more progressive legal mind.

What wasn’t addressed by the court-packing crowd was this: How to prevent the next Republican president and Senate from putting even more members on the court? And on and on until the Supreme Court of the United States is just another legislature?

One person with the left-leaning Take Back the Court outfit wasn’t pleased with the lack of movement on proposed changes: “If President Biden wants to be taken seriously on this issue, he needs to put forward serious structural reforms.”

Thank goodness, then, that the president doesn’t want to be taken seriously on this issue. For if this commission was serious, no telling how much trouble it could make for checks-and-balances in our unique American system.

Even before his election, Joe Biden said he “wasn’t a fan” of adding seats to the Supreme Court. And his press secretary was, happily, even more downbeat about the president’s next action concerning the committee report: “He’ll have to review it first, and I don’t think we’re going to set a timeline for what that looks like and what it will mean after that.”

Fine with us. And probably fine with the majority of the American people.

Put this committee report on the shelf and let it gather dust for a few centuries. No matter how expensive it might have been.

This has definitely been a government operation.