One Democrat Votes to Keep Supreme Court at 9 Justices

Key Points:

• The House of Representatives voted on the "Keep Nine Amendment," a proposed constitutional amendment to permanently set the U.S. Supreme Court size at nine justices, but it failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority, with only 212 votes in favor.
• All Republicans supported the amendment, while only one Democrat, Rep. Don Davis, voted in favor; Democrats opposed it, arguing the current court is "profoundly partisan and lopsided" and that court expansion is a necessary reform.
• The amendment aims to enshrine the court's size in the Constitution to prevent future changes by Congress, as the Constitution currently leaves the number of justices to be determined by federal law.
• Democrats have proposed expanding the court to address concerns about partisanship and restore public confidence, while critics warn that expansion could lead to retaliatory politicization and undermine judicial independence.
• Even if passed by Congress, the amendment would require ratification by three-fourths of the states, making its passage unlikely; the vote was largely symbolic, intending to force lawmakers to take a public stance ahead of upcoming elections.