# Plain Language Summary: Supreme Court Size Amendment

This bill proposes to lock the number of Supreme Court justices at nine through a constitutional amendment. Right now, Congress has the power to change how many justices sit on the Supreme Court—it's been nine since 1869, but there's nothing in the Constitution that requires it to stay that way. This proposal would change that by making nine justices a permanent constitutional requirement that couldn't be changed without going through the amendment process all over again.

To become law, this amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years. If it passes, no future Congress could add or remove justices without amending the Constitution again, which is an extremely difficult process requiring broad agreement across the country.

The practical impact is straightforward: this prevents what's sometimes called "court packing"—the idea that a political party in power could add more justices to shift the court's ideological balance in their favor. Supporters argue it protects the court from becoming a political tool, while critics counter that it removes flexibility if the country's needs change or if the workload genuinely requires more justices. Essentially, this is about whether the Supreme Court's size should be a permanent constitutional feature or something Congress can adjust based on circumstances.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.

Biggs, Andy

 <p>This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the Supreme Court to consist of nine Justices&#8212;one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. </p>