Difference between revisions of "Court packing"
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| − | '''Court packing''' refers to schemes to increase the number of justices on the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in order change the results on key issues. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] attempted this in 1937 but was rebuked by his own [[Democratic Party]] for it. Candidate [[Joe Biden]] and [[Democrat]]s plan to | + | '''Court packing''' refers to schemes to increase the number of justices on the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in order change the results on key issues. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] attempted this in 1937 but was rebuked by his own [[Democratic Party]] for it. Candidate [[Joe Biden]] and [[Democrat]]s plan to try this again if they win in the 2020 election. |
The [[U.S. Constitution]] does not establish the number of Supreme Court Justices, which changed multiple times until 1869. | The [[U.S. Constitution]] does not establish the number of Supreme Court Justices, which changed multiple times until 1869. | ||
Revision as of 22:40, September 30, 2020
Court packing refers to schemes to increase the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court in order change the results on key issues. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted this in 1937 but was rebuked by his own Democratic Party for it. Candidate Joe Biden and Democrats plan to try this again if they win in the 2020 election.
The U.S. Constitution does not establish the number of Supreme Court Justices, which changed multiple times until 1869.
The Judiciary Act of 1789 established six justices for the first Supreme Court. Lame duck President John Adams signed the Judiciary Act of 1801 to reduced the number to five, but President Thomas Jefferson and Congress subsequently restored it to six by repealing that law, and in 1807 increased the number to seven while also adding an additional seventh U.S. Court of Appeals.
When the number of federal circuits was expanded further in 1837, President Andrew Jackson added two more justices to the Supreme Court, for a total of nine. In 1863 Congress added a tenth circuit and established ten seats on the Supreme Court. In 1866 Congress reduced the number of justices back to seven, but in 1869 Congress restored the total number to nine.
The number of justices has remained at a maximum of nine since 1869.