Chuck Schumer’s ‘Whirlwind’ threat on justices should scare us all

Hypocrisy is typical in politics, but New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer sank to a new low last Wednesday during a rally in front of the Supreme Court.

Speaking against a commonsense Louisiana abortion restriction, Sen. Schumer said, “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price.”

This is the same senator who back in February discussed the need for an independent judiciary and argued that politicians should not attack judges. So, it’s troubling to see Schumer stoop to threatening violence against Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.

The minority leader is more interested in scoring political points than he is in defending the rule of law or protecting judges from political backlash. Next time Schumer complains about the Supreme Court, remember this moment and ask yourself whether you can trust anything he says.

Schumer tried to walk back his threats in a speech from the Senate floor. “Now, I should not have used the words I used yesterday. They didn’t come out the way I intended to. My point was that there would be political consequences — political consequences — for President Trump and Senate Republicans if the Supreme Court with the newly-confirmed justices stripped away a woman’s right to choose.”

Unfortunately for the Democrat from New York, words mean something, and he referenced Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch by name. Given the context of Schumer’s remarks — he was speaking to a group of angry protesters within a few hundred feet of the justices — his threats should not be ignored or downplayed.

Both justices have lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, and removing a justice is virtually impossible. The only “whirlwind” likely to impact either man is one created by intimidation tactics like Schumer’s remarks.

For the minority leader to intimidate and bully the bench in this way is a bridge too far. The job of our Supreme Court justices is to interpret the law — not create the law. Sen. Schumer is imposing his political will on the branch of government that’s supposed to be independent of the federal legislature.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a statement condemning the senator’s antics.

“Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous,” he said. “All members of the court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter.”

Schumer may have apologized for his vitriol, but the damage has already been done.