Because the Republicans, with their allies in the Federalist Society, have been planning this for decades.
Because the US Constitution excludes the most representative institution (the House of Representatives) from the appointments process. The President (determined by the Electoral college, which gives disproportionate weight to low-population red states) nominates justices, who are then confirmed by the Senate (where low-population red states have disproportionate power).
And here we are. Where the conservative supermajority in the USSC exists because two presidents who lost the popular vote have nominated justices who were then confirmed by a legislative body representing a minority of Americans.
tl;dr bad faith politics by the Republican senate
(I didn’t even read it. This is just the answer)
Let’s face it, Democrats did not treat this open threat with the required urgency.
Abolish the Senate. It is entirely undemocratic.
Wyoming : 581,381 people = 290,690.5 per Senator
California : 39,029,342 people = 19,514,671 per Senator
67x more representation for people of Wyoming vs California in the US Senate
Land of the Free - Home of the Brave
What’s your opinion about Congress’s shape after abolishing the Senate? Unicameral? Personally, I’d like to see it replaced with a proportional party-list body.
That way, you replace 100 for 100, and don’t have to transfer any of the Senate’s responsibilities to the House.