Hodes has it wrong: Doesn't know his job

02nd November 2008

Hodes has it wrong: Doesn't know his job

U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes has been congressman from the 2nd District for two years, has run for that office three times now, and was even elected to the position of "president" of his freshman class of representatives. Yet the man apparently doesn't understand the duties of the office.

In his televised debate last week with challenger Jennifer Horn, Hodes claimed that if Horn were elected in his place, she would "seek to pack the Supreme Court" with pro-life judges.

Hodes, who is also a lawyer, is either deliberately lying or he is clueless as to the constitutional role of the House of Representatives in which he sits. House members do not have any vote on court nominees. It is the duty of the U.S. Senate to advise and consent on such matters.

Even if the House had such a vote, to think that a member of that large body could single-handedly "pack" the court her way is preposterous.

The only individual who has ever tried to "pack the court" was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who attempted to do so by seeking to increase the high court's number of judges.

Perhaps Hodes was thinking past this election to one where he runs for Senate, or even President?

Whatever the case, we think Second District voters have a lot of good reasons to vote for Jennifer Horn this Tuesday and send Hodes back to brush up on his constitutional law.