Democrats preparing to unveil new legislation to pack the Supreme Court with four new justices


Dems plan bill to pack Supreme Court with four new justices – erasing the GOP majority – one week after Biden announced a special commission to investigate issue ‘under pressure’ from left

  • House and Senate Democrats will reportedly announce the plan on Thursday
  • The plan will see four new justices added to the nine-member Supreme Court
  • The Constitution does not specify how many justices should sit on the court
  • Before 1869 Congress routinely changed the number to achieve its own goals
  • The Supreme Court now leans conservative, with Trump appointing three
  • Republicans warned during the election that Democrats would try and change it 

Democrats will unveil on Thursday a plan to change the composition of the Supreme Court, it was reported on Wednesday, and increase the number of justices from nine to 13.

The proposal, reported by The Intercept, is likely to spark strong protest from Republicans, who warned during the election that Joe Biden would try and change the court’s composition. 

The Supreme Court is currently conservative leaning, with six conservative judges seated. Donald Trump appointed three: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. 

The new plan is being promoted in the House by the Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jerry Nadler.

The Supreme Court could increase in size from nine justices to 13 under a new proposal

The Supreme Court could increase in size from nine justices to 13 under a new proposal

He is backed by Subcommittee chair Hank Johnson, and freshman Mondaire Jones. 

In the Senate, the bill is being championed by Ed Markey of Massachusetts. 

The number of justices on the Supreme Court is not specified by the Constitution.

Until 1869, the number regularly fluctuated depending on which political party was in power, and their aims.

Under John Adams there were five: under Abraham Lincoln there were 10.

Biden himself refused to say before the election what his position was.

But, under pressure from progressives within his party, he said last week that he was forming a special commission to investigate the issue. 

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