Fix the Court executive director Gabe Roth issued this statement following the news that Sen. Grassley and Sen. Feinstein would be the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 115^th Congress:

Congratulations to Sen. Grassley on his reelection and for retaining his post as chairman and to Sen. Feinstein for her elevation to ranking member.

The Supreme Court in recent years has become the most powerful, least accountable part of our government. Nearly every consequential action taken in Washington this decade – on health care, marriage, abortion, contraception, affirmative action, immigration, voting rights and the environment – has come from the pens of a handful of justices, as opposed to the will of our elected representatives. That’s a problem for a country governed by a Constitution that expressly endorses the opposite approach.

It is my hope that Sens. Grassley and Feinstein work with Fix the Court to implement policies that will rein in the Supreme Court’s unchecked power. In previous Congresses, the Judiciary Committee has been the source of many such proposals, including ones that would create an inspector general’s office in the federal courts system, open up the high court to broadcast media and require the justices to adhere to the judicial code of conduct from which they are currently exempt.

The committee should consider these and other ideas that would build a more transparent judiciary.