White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is being asked what President Joe Biden‘s view is of a newly proposed legislation that would increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court from nine to 13.
Fox News’ Kristin Fisher asked Psaki during the White House briefing if the president supports the bill.
“Just last week, the president signed an executive order creating the bipartisan commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. A bipartisan group of over 30 Constitutional and legal experts who are examining a range of questions about proposed potential reforms to the Supreme Court, Psaki said.
She added, “And one of the issues they’ll look at is, of course, the size of the court, but they’ll also look at the court’s role in the Constitutional system, the length of service, the turnover of justices. And they’re going to come back to the president with a report on what their discussions are and what their findings are. So, he’s going to wait for that to play out and wait to read that report.”
She also said that Biden was not frustrated that Congressional Democrats have drafted the legislation to increase the number of justices on the court.
“He believes that members of Congress have the right to put forward legislation on issues they support. His view is that he wants to hear from this commission that has a range of viewpoints,” Psaki said.
Watch the video below:
Reporter: "Does the president support the bill just introduced by the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to add four seats to the Supreme Court?@PressSec: …He's going to wait for that to play out and wait to read that report." pic.twitter.com/pBYzQovf6A
— The Hill (@thehill) April 15, 2021
On Thursday, a group of Congressional Democrats unveiled legislation that would increase the number of justices on the court for the first time since 1869. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) argued, “As our country has grown, so too should the Supreme Court.”
“Thirteen justices for 13 circuits is a logical progression … and to rectify the great injustice that was done in packing the court,” he added.
Merriam-Webster defines court-packing as, “The act or practice of packing … a court and especially the United States Supreme Court by increasing the number of judges or justices in an attempt to change the ideological makeup of the court.”
The new legislation comes almost a week after Biden established a commission designed to “provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform.”
During the presidential campaign, Biden did not explicitly say whether or not he supports expanding the Supreme Court.
While he said he was “not a fan” of the idea, he said he would not reveal his position until after the election because “the moment I answer that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be about that other than focusing on what’s happening now.”
However, he did say the court was “getting out of whack” and that he would establish a commission to study “how to reform the court system.”
