9 justices on the Supreme Court or 13? Numbers battle revived in Congress

With Supreme Court approval near historic lows — Pew found over half of Americans view it unfavorably, and Gallup put confidence at a record-low 33 percent — Democrats including Rep. Jim Clyburn and Kamala Harris are renewing calls to expand the court to 13 justices. House Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing a constitutional amendment to lock the number at nine, expected on the floor this week under a process requiring two-thirds support.

Clyburn cited the court's recent gutting of a Voting Rights Act protection for majority-Black districts and accused conservative justices of trying to 'take the country back' in time. Speaker Mike Johnson countered by accusing 'communist socialists' in the Democratic Party of wanting to pack the court, calling expansion a recipe for 'political palooza.'

Gabe Roth of Fix the Court called both proposals 'pretty cynical,' arguing that neither expanding nor freezing the court addresses its actual problems, and pointed out that 49 of 50 states impose term or age limits on their top courts while the federal court has none. The amendment would still need Senate passage and ratification by 38 states to take effect.

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