Court Size & Executive Orders

About this episode

Lawmakers will likely expand the size of the Utah Supreme Court. On this episode of Utah's favorite political podcast, host Jason Perry leads a discussion examining the arguments for and against adding additional justices. Plus, how are Utah leaders responding to Pres. Trump's executive order on artificial intelligence? And will Congress act to extend ACA subsidies?

THE DEEPER DIVE:
• ⚖️ The size of the Utah Supreme Court has remained the same for more than 100 years, since it was set at five justices back in 1917. Would adding two more amount to court packing? Proponents of this plan say many states of a similar size already have larger supreme courts and that expanding would allow the Court to get through a backlog of cases more quickly. On the other side, critics argue there are more affordable ways to move cases along and this is simply a political move.
• Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies are set to expire in January unless Congress extends them. Utah is the 4th highest recipient of subsidies in the nation, so there would be a big impact here if they go away. Will Republicans and Democrats in Washington, DC come together to find a solution? Or will healthcare continue to be a political football?
• ✍️ In the past year, Congress has only passed 57 pieces of legislation, yet Pres. Trump has issued 221 executive orders. Critics of this dynamic claim the legislative branch has given up too much power to the executive branch. We examine how this is impacting our government and whether it defies the intention of the Constitution.
• Utah leaders are pushing back on an effort by Pres. Trump to control artificial intelligence regulations at the federal level. Should it be an issue managed by the states? Or does that create a marketplace that is too difficult for tech companies to navigate?

️ FEATURING:
• Maura Carabello – President, Exoro Group
• Jay Evensen – Opinion Editor, Deseret News
• Chris Bleak – Partner, RRJ Consulting

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