Here’s what you need to know…
On Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Republican party, proposed a constitutional amendment in the Senate that would limit the number of justices on the Supreme Court to nine. This move is aimed at preventing Democrats from increasing the size of the court and weakening the current conservative majority.
According to The Hill, following former President Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices during his tenure, some liberals have begun promoting the idea of expanding the Supreme Court. The court’s current conservative majority, which stands at 6-3, has fueled the push to increase its size. The conversation around expanding the court has gained even more traction since the court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision last year.
Republican Ted Cruz attempted to stop them from expanding the court and said, “The Democrats’ answer to a Supreme Court that is dedicated to upholding the rule of law and the Constitution is to pack it with liberals who will rule the way they want. The Supreme Court should be independent, not inflated by every new administration. That’s why I’ve introduced a constitutional amendment to permanently keep the number of justices at nine.”
Despite the recent blow to federal abortion protections delivered by the Supreme Court, Democrats have not united behind the push to expand the court. President Biden, along with other leaders in the Democratic Party, has not expressed support for court expansion. In fact, Biden openly rejected the idea of expanding the court last year.
The bill introduced by Senator Cruz gained backing from 10 other Republicans in the Senate, among them were Senators Josh Hawley, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton, and Chuck Grassley.
Republicans need to lock down the Supreme Court as quickly as possible because Democrats play dirty games when things aren’t going their way.