Constitutional amendment to cap the number of Supreme Court Justices at nine
"There’s been nine Justices for 150 years, it’s the right number," said Dusty Johnson (R-SD).
Supreme Court / Cordon Press.
This Wednesday, South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson introduced an amendment to the Constitution to cap the number of Supreme Court Justices at nine.
According to the press conference given by the politician, the amendment, known as "Keep the Nine," seeks to permanently maintain the number of seats on the Supreme Court and therefore stop the Democrats' attempt to expand it.
"There’s been nine justices for 150 years, it’s the right number," Johnson said.
The Amendment's argument
Johnson and other House Republicans argued that increasing the number of judges is "dangerous" because it could "threaten the values" of the country by stripping the court of independence in exchange for political gain.
"We don’t want the size of this Supreme Court to ping-pong up and down just on the basis of the most recent Federal Election," said Rep. Johnson. "It is a power grab," he added.
Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fl) explained that Democrats are seeking to increase the number of judges with activists who "will try to legislate from the bench." He continued: "They will undermine this sacred institution, and they will also undermine our Constitution."
"What the Democrats are trying to do now in the Senate to change the Supreme Court, to pack the Supreme Court, shakes the very foundation that our country was founded on, and it destroys the Constitution," Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) also pointed out.
Democrats previously blocked this amendment
Johnson previously tried to propose the amendment, but it was blocked by Democrats. In fact, Fox News claims that the Democrats' intention to increase the number of judges continued to be pushed in an effort to counter the influence of the three judges appointed by Donald Trump during his presidency.
However, now that the House of Representatives is led by a Republican majority, the bill has a good chance of passing, and Dusty Johnson has apparently already begun talking to senators to rally support for the amendment as well.
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