Congressional Democrats introduced legislation today to expand the U.S. Supreme Court by 4 justices to 13 in total, a proposal aimed at breaking the conservative grip on the court, along with drawing fierce opposition from Republicans.

If you lean conservative, the move may be called ‘packing the court’, if you lean liberal, the move may be seen as ‘getting even’ for the obstruction of Merrick Garland’s appointment to the bench during Obama’s 2nd term.  Either way, the very foundation of US law hangs in the balance.

The size of the Supreme Court has fluctuated since it was established in 1789 (it has changed 7 times), but it has remained at 9 since 1869. Imposing term limits would likely require a constitutional amendment, though some scholars have proposed ways to accomplish it by statute.

Full Press Conference 4/15/2021

“We are here today because the Supreme Court is broken” – Senator Ed Markey

President Joe Biden announced the formation of a commission last week to study the court’s structure, including the number of justices and their length of service.  Senator Ed Markey and House of Representatives members Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones gave a news conference today to announce the introduction of the legislation in both chambers.

Trump was able to appoint three justices during his four years in office, giving the court a 6-3 conservative majority.  An entrenched conservative majority in the highest could threaten abortion rights, civil rights, gun control and access to healthcare in the coming years.

Sen Markey announced that our “Democracy is in jeopardy”, and Dems plan to restore balance by adding 4 judges to the supreme court.  What is certain is the fight in congress will be fierce and historic.  There are are few things conservatives care more about than control of our courts.