1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you, as my Representative, to stand firm in protecting the integrity of our democracy and the authority of Congress by invoking the Exceptions Clause of Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution in negotiations over the upcoming spending bill. The Supreme Court has increasingly expanded its reach into areas that should be decided by the people’s elected representatives. When the Court consistently undermines legislative authority, civil rights, voting protections, and regulatory frameworks, it upsets the balance of powers envisioned by the Framers. Congress has both the constitutional authority and the responsibility to act. The Exceptions Clause gives Congress the explicit power to limit the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. This is not a radical step—it is a constitutional tool that has been used before in our nation’s history, most notably in Ex parte McCardle (1869), when the Court itself recognized the legitimacy of Congress’s action. The must-pass spending bill provides a rare opportunity to restore this balance. By attaching jurisdictional limits on the Supreme Court as part of the negotiation process, you can help ensure that critical legislation, especially protections for voting rights, workers, and public health, cannot be struck down by an activist Court intent on legislating from the bench. I urge you to make this a condition of any bipartisan deal: no passage of the spending bill without meaningful limits on the Court’s ability to erase the progress that Congress delivers. Thank you for your leadership and for fighting to preserve democracy.