House Democrats Block Constitutional Amendment to Keep Supreme Court at Nine Justices

House Democrats on Wednesday blocked a proposed Constitutional amendment to prevent expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

The Bill: To pass the house, the bill would have needed a two-thirds majority vote, but only garnered 212-206, with all but one Democrat opposing the measure. The bill, if passed by the House, Senate, and ratified by 38 states would have stipulated that "The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine justices."

Frame Democrats As Radical: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) called the measure "a symbolic gesture," explaining that it was "not expected to advance." The article highlighted Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who proposed the bill, saying the Democrats voted against the bill "so they can follow through on a radical socialist agenda." The Examiner also mentioned that "The Republican Party instantly seized on the outcome as an avenue to frame Democrats as radical ahead of the midterm elections."

Republican Concerns: Reuters (Center) asserted that "House Republicans staged the vote to highlight the potential for Democrats, angered by rulings on issues such as abortion and voting rights, to expand the court and weaken its conservative majority if they regain control of Congress in November's midterms." The outlet also noted that both parties "have historically staged votes on bills they know will fail but are known as 'messaging bills' that can be used to shore up support with voters during election campaigns and force political opponents into taking stands on thorny issues." Reuters also said that Republican Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to schedule the vote "underscored Republican concerns that Trump's low approval ratings could cost the party its House or Senate majority."

Fever Pitch: The Washington Post (Lean Left), before the House vote, published an article headlined "Angry at the Supreme Court, liberals push a slew of plans for overhauling it." The article highlighted a bill that proposes increasing the number of Supreme Court justices to 13 while another bill would cut the lifetime terms of justices to 18 years. According to the Post, "the latest wave of proposals to overhaul the Supreme Court have reached something of a fever pitch over the past few months, as Democrats grow increasingly frustrated with the court's rightward turn."

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