Sen. Chuck Schumer's threatening rhetoric to Supreme Court justices crosses a line

For the Senate's Democratic leader to stand on the front steps of the Supreme Court and furiously shout words that sound very much like a threat against two high court justices is unseemly and warrants a full-throated apology.

"I want to tell you, Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer roared Wednesday to a crowd of protesters angry over a Louisiana case before the court that threatens abortion rights. "You won't know what hit if you go forward with these awful decisions."

To refer to conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh by their last names was disrespectful. To seemingly menace them about a pending decision was beyond the pale. The remarks earned a rare and deserved rebuke hours later, when Chief Justice John Roberts said Schumer's words were "not only inappropriate; they are dangerous."

Stereotype of partisanship

On Thursday, the New York senator tried to walk it back with an I'm-from-Brooklyn equivocation: "I should not have used the words I used. .... They did not come out the way I intended."

As they might also say in Brooklyn, it was a day late and a dollar short.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer addresses an abortion rights rally at the Supreme Court on March 4, 2020.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer addresses an abortion rights rally at the Supreme Court on March 4, 2020.

OPPOSING VIEW: Senate Democratic leader connects the dots between alarming rulings and the election

Not only did Schumer's rhetoric Wednesday sound foolishly threatening, but it reinforced a persistent view too many Americans hold about their political leadership — that Democrats and Republicans are really nothing more than two sides of the same coin.

It's a severe liability this year because elections are all about drawing contrasts. Whoever the Democrats nominate as their presidential candidate would certainly want to argue that they are a different kind of leader than a president who traffics almost daily in false and divisive rhetoric. Schumer "must pay a severe price for this!" Trump tweeted Wednesday night, displaying a distinct lack of self awareness.

Trump's own attacks

Trump, of course, hasn't been shy about verbally attacking the judiciary:

►He earned his own rebuke from Roberts in 2018 after labeling a federal jurist an "Obama judge" for ruling against the administration.

►As a candidate, Trump made bigoted remarks about a federal judge of Mexican heritage handling a fraud case over Trump University.

►Last month, the president criticized a judge overseeing the trial of Roger Stone, a longtime Trump friend.

►And last week, Trump called on two liberal Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from "Trump-related" cases.

In the fall, Democratic leaders will want to draw a stark contrast with that kind of provocation. That means rising above Trump's attacks on the judiciary or, in the case of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, refraining from tearing up Trump's State of the Union address. Drawing a contrast means having the discipline to avoid stooping to Trump's level.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.


To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

If you can't see this reader poll, please refresh your page.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chuck Schumer threatening rhetoric to Gorsuch, Kavanaugh crosses line