According to US media sources, US Democrats may propose on April 15 to increase the number of US Supreme Court justices from 9 to 13. Last week, the United States just announced the establishment of the “Supreme Court Reform Commission” to study the reform of the Supreme Court.
According to NBC news on April 15, Massachusetts Senator Markey and New York congressman Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will launch a proposal on April 15 to promote the reform of the Supreme Court, including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices from 9 to 13.
Brian Fallon, co-founder of demand justice, a non-profit organization that supports the bill and a former assistant to Democratic leaders in the Senate, said, “this Bill marks a new era in which Democrats finally stop handing over the Supreme Court to Republicans.” Fallon also described the current Supreme Court as “dilapidated and in need of reform.”.
Before the US presidential election last year, liberal justice Ginsberg died of illness. Then president trump, despite the opposition of Democrats including then Democratic presidential candidate Biden, nominated conservative justice Barrett to fill the post of Supreme Court justice. After Barrett’s successful inauguration, the Supreme Court was eventually composed of six conservative justices and three liberal justices.
Trump has repeatedly said that if Biden takes office in the White House, in order to balance conservatives and liberals, Democrats will increase the number of justices, thus leading the Supreme Court into chaos. Biden did not make a clear statement on this.
Since the establishment of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1789, the number of justices has been fluctuating. Since 1869, the number of justices has been kept at nine, which has become a practice and has never changed.
On April 9 this year, Biden, who was successfully elected as president of the United States, signed an executive order announcing the establishment of a “Supreme Court Reform Commission” composed of members from both parties, which is responsible for studying “supreme court reform matters”.
Senate Republican leader John McConnell warned Democrats not to increase seats on the Supreme Court, saying that “there is nothing to” study “about the structure and operation of the judiciary.” He also quoted comments by Ginsberg and liberal justice Breyer, both of whom had expressed doubts about increasing the number of justices.
According to the statement of the White House on April 9, the “Supreme Court Reform Commission” will not only study whether the number of Supreme Court justices should be increased, but also study whether the term of office and the age limit of judges should be set (currently there is no upper limit), and whether the procedures for nominating and confirming justices need to be modified.
