Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley plans to introduce a Senate motion to censure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for attempting to intimidate Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Schumer told attendees at a Wednesday rally in front of the Supreme Court that the two justices would “pay the price” if they ruled incorrectly in an upcoming abortion-related case.
“I want to tell you Gorsuch and I want to tell you Kavanaugh,” he told the crowd. “You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
Reacting to the news, Hawley called Schumer’s words “disgusting, shameful, and frankly, WEAK” before promising to “introduce a motion to censure Schumer for his pathetic attempt at intimidation” of the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts called Schumer’s remarks “dangerous” and “threatening statements.”
“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,” Roberts said in a Wednesday statement.
Responding to Roberts, Schumer spokesman Justin Goodman compared the Senate minority leader’s words to President Donald Trump’s call for Justices Sotomayor and Ginsberg to recuse themselves from cases involving his administration.
