Representative Green's Original Legislation to increase from 9 to 13 the number of justices of the Supreme Court.

Bill Number: H.R. 8647
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 2
Policy Area: Law
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2026-05-04: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Updated: 2026-05-21T15:08:36Z

AI-Generated Summary

This bill, H.R. 8647, aims to expand the size of the U.S. Supreme Court by increasing the number of justices from the current total of 9 to 13.

Amends Section 1 of Title 28, United States Code (which sets the Court's composition).
Changes the number of associate justices from 8 to 12 (keeping the Chief Justice, for a total of 13 justices).
Adjusts a reference from "six" to "eight" (likely related to quorum requirements for Court proceedings).

Directly alters the statutory composition of the Supreme Court, which has been set at one Chief Justice and eight associate justices since 1869.
Updates any tied numerical threshold (e.g., quorum) from 6 to 8 justices.

On government agencies: Requires the President to nominate and the Senate to confirm 4 additional justices, increasing judicial workload and administrative needs.
On citizens: Could shift the Court's ideological balance, affecting rulings on key issues like rights, regulations, and elections.
On international relations: Minimal direct impact, though a larger Court might influence U.S. legal precedents cited globally.

Supreme Court justices: Existing members face potential dilution of influence; new appointees would be added.
Congress and President: Gain authority to shape the Court through appointments.
Legal community and citizens: Affected by changes in Court decisions and case outcomes.
Judiciary branch: Impacts operations, including hearing panels and quorum rules.

Legal/Constitutional: Congress has constitutional authority (Article III, Section 1) to determine the Court's size, as it has done 7 times historically; no amendment needed.
Political: Often called "court-packing," this could spark debates on judicial independence and partisan motivations, potentially leading to reciprocal expansions by future Congresses.
Other: May face immediate legal challenges or Senate resistance, altering long-standing norms of a 9-justice Court.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Representative Green’s Original Legislation to increase from 9 to 13 the number of justices of the Supreme Court. — issued 2026-05-04 — PDF (1 pages)