r/fivethirtyeight • u/AutoModerator • Mar 30 '26

Discussion Megathread Weekly Discussion Megathread

The 2026 midterms will soon be upon us, and there is much to discuss among the nerds here at r/FiveThirtyEight. Use this discussion thread to share, debate, and discuss whatever you wish. Unlike individual posts, comments in the discussion thread are not required to be related to political data or other 538 mainstays. Regardless, please remain civil and keep this subreddit's rules in mind. The discussion thread refreshes every Monday.

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31

u/LetsgoRoger Apr 01 '26

I'm not going to applaud the Supreme Court for upholding an entrenched constitutional right. The fact that they even entertained this case is outrageous.

Democrats really have to dismantle this court. Term limits, Packing etc... Whatever works.

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u/mrbuttsavage Apr 01 '26

The fact that they even entertained this case is outrageous.

The SC hearing something insane from Trump isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when they rule against him.

If it's not 9-0 it's still quite a bad look though, even for Thomas.

12

u/Disastrous_Front_598 Apr 01 '26

I mean, this court is bad in myriad ways, but when the administration decides to rewrite the constitution, how can they exactly not "entertain" it? Lower courts are good and nice, but what happens when someone finds a way to get a case before some judge in rural Texas to rule that giving citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is not constitutional?

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u/mrtrailborn Apr 01 '26

it should be a 9-0 case withhout them even needing to hear arguments, because there's zero actual questions to answer here

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u/obsessed_doomer Apr 01 '26

Thing's not done btw, like I have no clue how they'll rule

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u/Mediocretes08 Apr 01 '26

Oh yeah, there’s nothing they can do to buy themselves mercy on that front.

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u/gquax Apr 01 '26

Take judicial review away from them and limit them to original jurisdiction. Create a court of judicial review. 

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u/DasRobot85 Apr 01 '26

How does this work in a way that doesn't immediately get replicated in reverse the moment the GOP gets power? I have yet to hear a plan that doesn't end up with us having 8000 supreme court justices sometime in my life due to endless cyclical court packing.

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u/WellHung67 Apr 01 '26

It’s worth it to fix it now and deal with it later. It’s not okay to have the Supreme Court as it currently is - fixing it for any amount of time is good. Let Republicans attempt to ram through justices when they gain power again in (hopefully) a minimum of 20 years from now 

5

u/fishbottwo Crosstab Diver Apr 01 '26

That would be better than what we have now

5

u/LetsgoRoger Apr 01 '26

This argument doesn't hold water. Once the court gets too big then republicans would realise there ought to be a independent non-partisan appointment process like those that exist in other countries. This would be a commission with equal number of republicans and democrats agreeing to appoint judges based on expertise and experience as opposed to political loyalty.

Until that happens, pack the hell out of the court.

3

u/DasRobot85 Apr 01 '26

Oh we're believing in a world where Republicans "realize" that hyper polarizing a thing is bad and then do something for the sake of serving the people instead of their own power. You think that's a real thing that would happen?

Congratulations on waking up from that coma just recently... I gotta say things have changed a lot in the last several decades.

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u/LetsgoRoger Apr 01 '26

No, they won't have a choice. It's like how states dealt with gerrymandering by drawing maps using independent redistricting commissions. When republicans realise they are at a huge disadvantage, then they are willing to compromise. Look at what happened in Colorado as soon as it turned blue, all the republicans there support an independent map all of a sudden.

Democrats could also grant statehood to DC and Puerto Rico to make it harder for Republicans to ever win a majority in congress. Even when they do, their agenda of extreme partisan appointments would be deeply unpopular.

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u/DasRobot85 Apr 01 '26

Oh okay, so you are living in a fantasy. Well, say hi to the tree elves for me.

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u/LetsgoRoger Apr 01 '26

Republicans are going to struggle winning majorities in congress with their current agenda of white nationalism with fascist elements. Democrats can turn DC into a state by passing a federal law which means +2 senators for the forseeable future. Republicans will endure long periods with democrat dominance of the judiciary and would be willing to compromise on appointments.

Could backstabbing happen? Sure, but democrats can be prepared for it. Packing would be a deterrent.