Jackson Purchase News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) addressed the Senate floor today concerning recent Supreme Court decisions that concluded its term.

“Last week, the Supreme Court concluded its term with a number of consequential decisions. Three of these rulings, and the reactions they triggered on the Left, illustrated just how differently Republicans and Democrats view the Court’s role,” McConnell stated.

McConnell elaborated on his perspective regarding government accountability: “As I have explained before, Republicans want government that is accountable to the people – as the Constitution prescribes. Democrats, on the other hand, want government that is insulated from the democratic process.”

He criticized what he perceives as a Democratic approach to governance: “Here’s the Democratic ideal of how to govern: If Congress has not spoken on an issue, let unelected bureaucrats manipulate statutes, fill in the blanks, and make new law. Then, if anyone violates these new bureaucrat-made laws, let the bureaucrats take them to bureaucrat court.”

McConnell further emphasized his concerns about executive power being undermined by bureaucracy: “And finally, if the President – the one actor in the executive branch who answers to the people – dares to interfere in this process in ways the bureaucrats don’t like, let him face criminal charges from yet another group of bureaucrats.”

He praised recent Supreme Court rulings for addressing these issues: “In what might be the most consequential decision in my time here, the Supreme Court held that bureaucrats do not get the benefit of doubt when they write new laws. Congress writes laws. And the ways bureaucrats apply those laws are subject to full judicial review.”

“The Court also held that when the Constitution says you have a right to a jury trial, it means just that,” he continued. “When bureaucrats go after someone – potentially for violating rules that Congress never even contemplated –the case has to go to a real Senate-confirmed judge and a jury of one’s peers.”

Lastly, McConnell highlighted constitutional protections for presidential actions: “The Constitution vests in President executive powers that cannot be circumscribed. Not by Congress and not by inventive prosecutors."

He expressed concerns over potential partisan misuse of prosecutorial powers: "Prominent Democrats seem to look at successful criminalization of political disagreement in places like Europe and South America and think they might just be on to something."

McConnell concluded with reflections on differing visions for America: "We’re talking about two very different visions of America: A Democratic vision where bureaucrats decide our policy disputes...and a Constitutional vision where policy is entrusted broadly to people through representative democracy."