Fox News opinion columnist Jonathan Turley criticises University of Pennsylvania professor Michael Mann for calling on Democratic Senate candidates to face a "litmus test" requiring them to commit to expanding, or "packing", the US Supreme Court. Turley presents this as part of a broader push by figures on the left to reshape the court, arguing that such efforts are aimed at removing a constitutional check on more radical policy goals, including wealth taxes, reparations and expanded climate regulations.

Mann, vice provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action at Penn, made the remarks in a podcast interview, saying Democratic candidates "isn't just good enough" to be a Democrat but must also back court expansion, tying this explicitly to climate policy. Turley disputes Mann's characterisation of the 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the Chevron doctrine, arguing Mann mischaracterised it as stripping the EPA of authority rather than simply removing judicial deference to agency interpretations. The piece also revisits Mann's defamation case against bloggers Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn, noting a $1 million punitive damages award later reduced by a judge, and references other Democratic figures, including Kamala Harris, who have voiced support for Supreme Court reform.