House and Senate Republicans are requesting details on a commission that was tasked with exploring reforms to the Supreme Court.

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and former Senate Judiciary chairs Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters on Friday to Robert Bauer and Cristina Rodríguez — the two former co-chairs of the Supreme Court reform commission that released its final report in December 2021 — requesting documents and communications.

“While the Commission’s work has concluded, questions remain about the Commission’s work, deliberations, and true purpose,” the three Republican lawmakers wrote in the letters, which were obtained exclusively by POLITICO ahead of their release.

What the GOP lawmakers are asking for by 5 p.m. on March 10:

• Documents and communications with commission members and employees, as well as with academic colleagues or assistants related to the commission

• Any documents and communications with executive office of the president employees and a host of Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, related to the commission

• Documents and communications with potential members of the commission who weren’t appointed

• Any documents or communications with several progressive or Democratic-aligned organizations that refer to the commission including Demand Justice, the American Constitution Society and the Unrig the Courts Coalition.

ICYMI: Biden formally formed the commission in April 2021 with the task of providing an “analysis of the principal arguments” for and against reforming the Supreme Court, after facing months of pressure to embrace expanding the size of the Supreme Court. He had proposed the idea of a commission as he was running for president in 2020, with liberal groups at the time accusing him of punting.

The idea of expanding the court has sparked bipartisan opposition in Congress, and it gained little meaningful traction even when Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate. But supporters argue that Republicans “packed” the Supreme Court by first refusing to give a hearing or vote to Merrick Garland when he was nominated by then-President Barack Obama in 2016, and then confirming three justices for then-President Donald Trump, including Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed just days before the 2020 presidential election.

What the commission ultimately recommended: While the final report included endorsements for some more modest ideas, like new codes of ethics and increased court transparency, it steered clear of endorsing topics like expansion and term limits, instead largely weighing the arguments made on both sides.

Original source can be found here