US Clash Over Expanding the Supreme Court as Fight Over 9 Justices Heats Up: "Let's Wrap This Up Now"

As lawmakers debate the future of the Supreme Court, Americans on Capitol Hill share views on expanding SCOTUS, court packing, and term limits.

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"If you had more justice, you could have more different opinions out there," said Derek, also of Washington. "So you have to have more consensus on whatever they're voting on."

The debate comes after a Republican-backed constitutional amendment to permanently fix SCOTUS at nine justices failed in the House of Representatives in September, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

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Democratic lawmakers have also introduced proposals to reshape the court, including legislation to expand its membership, establish term limits and impose additional ethics requirements.

"If we're going to resize, we have to do it now," said Carl from Texas. “If you're going to pack your court bags, come pack it now.

"I think those who want to increase the size maybe just have a bias against it if it's Republican or Democrat," Timm said of the idea of increasing the number of judges. "I say just leave it as it is, man."

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Democrats have been increasingly angered by many of the court's rulings, with many claiming their rulings are rooted in politics rather than law.

"The more people weigh, the more accurate the results, right?" said one interviewee

One also argued that while he would be in favor of potentially expanding SCOTUS, it depends on how many additional justices are added.

"It depends on how much more they add," Derek said. "One or two more doesn't seem like much, but if they want to 'double up.'

Republicans are sounding the alarm about hidden midterm risks that could reshape the Supreme Court for decades.

There have been several proposals from Democrats to reshape SCOTUS, including legislation from Texas Rep. Al Green to increase the bench from nine to 13 justices, and a separate measure from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to establish 18-year terms of active service for newly appointed judges.

"I think the more fundamental changes would be to create term limits," said Mark from Washington, D.C. "This size will allow the next few presidents to appoint more people. "I don't know that it would change the political tone of the current situation, whereas term limits might be more effective."

Other Democratic proposals would impose enforceable ethics standards and require more transparency on emergency court orders, often referred to as "shadow doctors."

Republicans believe that Democrats' proposals to overhaul SCOTUS are a reaction to the party's anger that the rulings are not in their favor.

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House Republicans sought to permanently limit Scottus' nine justices and chose to propose a constitutional amendment to reject Democratic efforts to expand the court.

This parliament could not get the two-thirds majority required for the parliament's approval. A constitutional amendment also requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, followed by approval by three-quarters of the states.

Article 3, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, but does not specify how many justices it must consist of, leaving the power to Congress to determine its size.

Congress originally created six seats under the Judiciary Act of 1789. The size of the court changed several times during the 19th century, reaching 10 justices before Congress established the current nine-judge structure in 1869.

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