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US House Rejects Republican Push to Cap Supreme Court at Nine Justices

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The US House voted 212-206 against advancing a Republican-backed constitutional amendment to limit the Supreme Court to nine justices.
  • Constitutional amendments require two-thirds support in the House, so the measure fell well short of the threshold.
  • Republicans framed the vote as part of a broader effort to force Democrats to take positions on court expansion and socialism before the midterm elections.

The US House rejected a Republican-backed attempt to lock the Supreme Court at nine justices, turning down a constitutional amendment that needed far more support than it received.

The resolution failed on a 212-206 vote, largely along party lines. Representative Don Davis of North Carolina was the only Democrat to support it. Independent Representative Kevin Kiley of California, who caucuses with Republicans, voted against it. Because constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in the House, the proposal could not advance.

The vote came a day after the House approved, 220-192, a resolution condemning socialism. Eight Democrats joined Republicans on that measure. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats who opposed both initiatives.

For members of Congress who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution, condemning socialism and defending the integrity of the Supreme Court shouldn’t be a controversial vote. Sadly, for today’s Democrats, they are.

— Mike JohnsonThe House speaker criticized Democrats who voted against the Supreme Court measure and the resolution condemning socialism.

“For members of Congress who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution, condemning socialism and defending the integrity of the Supreme Court shouldn’t be a controversial vote. Sadly, for today’s Democrats, they are,” Johnson wrote on X.

The two votes functioned largely as Republican messaging exercises ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Republicans sought to put Democrats on record regarding socialism and possible expansion of the Supreme Court.

The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court but does not specify how many justices it must have, leaving that decision to Congress. The court began with six justices in 1789, changed size several times, and reached its current nine seats in 1869. Debate over expansion intensified after Donald Trump appointed three justices during his first term, giving the court a conservative majority that later delivered several legal victories to his administration. In 2021, four congressional Democrats introduced a bill proposing a 13-member court, saying it would restore balance after what they called Republican attacks on institutional norms.

would restore balance to the nation’s highest court after four years of norm-breaking actions by Republicans

— Democratic lawmakersThe phrase described the stated rationale for a 2021 bill proposing a 13-member Supreme Court.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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