John Grisham stirs controversy with joking comments on US Supreme Court on 'The View'

On a recent appearance on "The View," Mississippi author John Grisham, made comments about writing about more Supreme Court assassinations, prompting the hosts to quickly clarify the comments were a joke.

The comments circulated on social media, eliciting a larger discussion on the current state of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Grisham appeared Wednesday on the talk show "The View" to discuss his newest book, "Camino Ghosts."

Joy Behar set up a political discussion by asking Grisham about future novels, especially since, she said, "life in the court right now is getting a little scary." Grisham, a former lawyer and member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, famously writes legal dramas.

"Let's take the Supreme Court right now," Behar said. "A lot of people have issues with them. There are some scandals plaguing the Supreme Court."

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Grisham responded to Behar's comments by bringing up his 1992 novel "The Pelican Brief," in which two Supreme Court justices, one Democrat and one Republican, are assassinated.

"I wrote a great book called 'The Pelican Brief' in which two Supreme Court justices were assassinated, and I've thought about doing it again," Grisham said.

The five hosts quickly interjected to clarify that Grisham's quip referred to writing another novel, not a threat against the Supreme Court.

"Writing part two," Whoopi Goldberg, one of the hosts of the "The View" said, "He's talking about writing part two."

Clips of Grisham's comments circulated on social media following his appearance, with many stating Grisham should not have joked on such a serious matter.

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After the hosts interjected, Grisham went on to say he believes the Supreme Court gets worse every term.

"The court has never looked this bad," Grisham said. "In my lifetime, some of the rulings, the ethical challenges... it went downhill in 2000 when five Republicans on the court chose to elect a president."

Grisham's comments echo a debated concept in America today — has the U.S. Supreme Court become increasingly more biased against party lines?

"(The 2000 Supreme Court) was political," Grisham continued. "Bush versus Gore. That's when it all started really going downhill... the Court gets worse every term."

The hosts agreed with Grisham's sentiments, nodding their heads along with his comments.

"I have no solution because you can't get rid of them, " Grisham said. "The solution is to make them all retire at the age of 75. Every federal judge should have to retire at the age of 75."

Behar supported Grisham's statement, saying she believes justices should have term limits like the president, before the conversation steered back to Grisham's new book.

Grisham did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: John Grisham jokes about second Pelican Brief on The View