House Democrats Block Amendment to Protect Supreme Court from Court-Packing
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A constitutional amendment to safeguard the Supreme Court’s integrity by fixing its size at nine justices was defeated after House Democrats opposed it, leaving the door open for future left-wing court-packing schemes.
The U.S. House rejected a constitutional amendment that would have set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine, a crucial measure to preserve the Court’s independence and prevent radical expansion. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was championed by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who expedited the process and required a two-thirds majority for passage, underscoring the importance of this safeguard.
Although a majority of House members supported the amendment, it fell short of the supermajority needed, thanks to obstruction by House Democrats. Democrats argued that fixing the Court’s size would limit their ability to manipulate the judiciary for partisan advantage. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., complained that the proposal would “strip Congress of all authority in the matter,” while Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., openly admitted that a nine-justice limit could prevent Democrats from overturning the current conservative majority for generations.
Republicans emphasized that the amendment was necessary to stop future attempts by Democrats to pack the Court and undermine its legitimacy. Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., rightly described efforts to increase the Court’s size as blatant attempts to “consolidate power” and erode the separation of powers.
The Constitution allows Congress to set the number of justices, a responsibility that should be exercised to protect the Court from political manipulation. The Supreme Court currently has eight associate justices and a chief justice, but with Democrats blocking this amendment, the threat of court-packing remains very real.