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House Fails to Pass Constitutional Amendment to Permanently Cap Supreme Court at Nine Justices

The House of Representatives failed to pass a constitutional amendment to permanently cap the Supreme Court at nine justices on Wednesday. The joint resolution, proposed by Rep. Andy Biggs, required a two-thirds majority to pass, but received only 212 votes in favor out of 288. Rep. Andy Biggs argued that a fixed number of justice seats would protect the court from being packed by whoever wins the next election. House Speaker Mike Johnson supported the amendment, stating that nine justices have served the country well and that expanding the court could turn it into a political palooza. House Democrats opposed the measure, arguing that it would strip Congress of its constitutional authority to set the number of justices. Rep. Jamie Raskin argued that the amendment was a partisan power grab by the administration's followers to freeze the current conservative majority in place. While the amendment failed to reach the required threshold, the vote confirmed that the choice of the court's size is entirely up to Congress. The court has had nine seats since 1869, and the Constitution does not dictate a specific number of justices.

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