Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) teased the possibility of a 7-2 majority on the Supreme Court days before he is expected to file paperwork for a 2024 presidential campaign.
In remarks to the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Orlando, Florida, DeSantis said the next president could have to replace Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, or Sonia Sotomayor, once again shifting the balance of the Supreme Court.
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DeSantis hailed Thomas and Alito as the “gold standard” for justices and said replacing either one of them with someone like Chief Justice John Roberts would be a step backward. Thomas has anchored the conservative bloc, and Alito authored the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
The Supreme Court will be a major issue in both the Republican primaries and the general election. Former President Donald Trump, DeSantis’s main opponent for the nomination, played a big role in assembling the court’s current majority. DeSantis cited his own record transforming the state judiciary in Florida.
The Florida governor spoke to an important gathering of social conservatives, saying he had championed the most pro-family tax code in the country. He also touted his support for Israel and hit the movement to boycott and divest from the Jewish state.
DeSantis also defended his parents’ rights legislation. “Parents have the right to know what curriculum is being used in their kids’ classroom or what books are being used in their libraries,” he said, adding, “Now the media will say that removing a pornographic book from a sixth grade school shelf is quote a ‘book ban.’” He noted adults could still purchase the books and called the idea of a book ban a “hoax.”
“If you take off the private parts of a minor, you’re going to jail for doing that,” he said of gender reassignment surgeries for minors. He also said the six-week abortion ban he signed into law was “humane,” as was the accompanying support for pregnant women.
Most of DeSantis’s speech was a defense of his record as governor of Florida, from his handling of the pandemic to his advocacy of school choice. He never overtly mentioned a run for the White House. But appointing Supreme Court justices is something only a president can do, and his remarks could have been a campaign stump speech.
“American decline is not inexorable,” DeSantis said. “It is a choice.”
DeSantis is expected to enter the presidential race later this week and then follow up with an announcement after Memorial Day.
The Florida governor consistently runs second in the national polls and is the only Republican besides Trump to break into the double digits.
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“Put on the full armor of God, stand for the truth, and don’t ever, ever back down,” DeSantis said, adding he had “just begun to fight.”
“God bless you all. We’ll see you soon,” he concluded.
