Senate Republicans Introduce Constitutional Amendment to Restrict Supreme Court Size
While federal laws currently limit the U.S. Supreme Court to nine justices, a constitutional amendment could safeguard this number against any future alterations by Congress.
On February 7, Republicans in the U.S. Senate presented a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to restrict federal lawmakers from increasing the number of justices—which is presently fixed at nine—on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The amendment, known as the Keep Nine Amendment, was introduced following a series of proposals from Democrats during the previous Congress that sought to expand the number of justices and implement ethics regulations for the nation’s highest court. At that time, Republicans had criticized those legislative efforts.
Amending the U.S. Constitution is a challenging task. According to Article V, an amendment must receive approval from two-thirds of both congressional houses or from two-thirds of states in a special constitutional convention. Subsequently, it requires ratification by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the states to be integrated into the Constitution.
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“The Court is a co-equal branch of government, and our Keep Nine Amendment is designed to protect its independence from political influences,” he added.
Co-sponsor Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) emphasized the necessity of the amendment to curb what he sees as Democrats’ attempts to compromise the Court’s integrity.
Cruz stated that the opposition aims “to manipulate the Court to achieve policy objectives that they cannot fulfill through elections.”
Other co-sponsors include Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).
In recent years, numerous bills have been proposed in Congress intending to enlarge the court beyond the current limit of nine justices.
“The Supreme Court is facing a crisis, and we must implement bold solutions to regain the public’s trust,” stated Wyden.
Markey declared, “Our most cherished freedoms are under siege from a far-right, illegitimate Supreme Court. If we do not act, matters will only deteriorate.”
The Epoch Times attempted to obtain a statement from the Democratic minority on the Senate Judiciary Committee but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
