WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Some Democrats say it is time to bring more Justices to the Supreme Court, but Republicans and other Democrats are not so sure.
“I have no plans to bring it to the floor,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Pelosi said she’s not ready to back new court expansion legislation, adding, “I support the President’s commission to study such a proposal.”
President Biden has created a bipartisan commission to study expanding the high court. The Judiciary Act of 2021 would increase the size of the U.S Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices.
New York Congressman Jerry Nadler believes as the country grows, so too should the Supreme Court. “Our founders understood that as the country in the judicial system evolves, the court needs to evolve with it,” he said.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey says Republicans have done damage to the judicial branch, making Americans lose faith in the high court. “And make no mistake about it. The court is broken because leader Mitch McConnell, his Senate Republican colleagues and Donald trump broke it,” Markey said.
But Republicans, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, say this is a terrible idea. “You make the Supreme Court basically a political football; it loses its independence, its consistency,” Graham said.
And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says it is an attempt to threaten current Supreme Court Justices. “And responsible people across the political spectrum have an absolute duty to denounce this,” McConnell said.
During his campaign, President Biden said he was not a fan of expanding the court, but is allowing a commission to look into this issue.
