Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 10
House GOP Fails to Advance 9-Justice Supreme Court Amendment in 212-206 Vote
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 10

House GOP Fails to Advance 9-Justice Supreme Court Amendment in 212-206 Vote

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 10

Summary

  • H.J. Res. 8 fell short in the House, with Republicans’ bid to constitutionally lock the Supreme Court at nine justices failing to reach the required two-thirds majority.
  • The vote was 212-206: House Republicans backed the measure overwhelmingly, Democrats opposed it 205-1, and Rep. Don Davis was the lone Democrat to support it.
  • Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans, voted against the amendment, while 15 members did not vote.
  • The failed measure came amid renewed debate over court expansion, with supporters arguing a nine-member court reflects the post-Civil War settlement cemented by the 1869 Judiciary Act.

Insights

Could a Civil War-era law secretly hold the key to preventing a complete structural overhaul of the nation's highest court?
If the Constitution never set a specific number of justices, what stops a sudden expansion from overturning decades of established law?