Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday warned of an \u201cauthoritarian expansion of power\u201d by the Supreme Court after it released several controversial opinions in it\u2019s last week of the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe courts, if they were to proceed without any check on their power, without any balance on their power, then we will start to see an undemocratic and, frankly, dangerous authoritarian expansion of power in the Supreme Court,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhich is what we are seeing now, from the overturning of abortion rights to the ruling that discrimination and, frankly, stripping the full personhood and dignity of LGBTQ people in the United States. \u2026 These are the types of rulings that signal a dangerous creep towards authoritarianism and centralization of power in the court,\u201d the New York Democrat said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Families sue over Georgia law restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth
Five takeaways on the Supreme Court\u2019s student debt decision
The Supreme Court last week released opinions on several landmark decisions that included blows to affirmative action programs in college admissions, President Biden\u2019s student debt relief program, and LGBTQ rights \u2014 rulings Republicans have largely lauded and Democrats have decried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent critic of the conservative court, on Sunday argued that justices \u201care expanding their role into acting as though they are Congress itself,\u201d noting recent controversies surrounding ethics standards and arguing justices\u2019 power should be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd that, I believe, is an expansion of power that we really must be focusing on: the danger of this court and the abuse of power in this court, particularly \u2026 as it is related to the entanglements around conflicts of interest as well,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n