Senate Debate on Supreme Court Expansion

During a Senate debate on Thursday, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) expressed her disapproval of expanding the Supreme Court. This came after Democrat Troy Jackson suggested the possibility of adding justices, stating that the court “obviously is not working.”

Jackson also advocated for term limits and more stringent ethics regulations. He criticized the justices for allegedly accepting gifts and travel from individuals who have cases before them, saying:

I get why Supreme Court positions were meant to be for life, but honestly, what we see now is astonishing. There are justices lacking ethics; they’re taking trips and gifts from people who are coming before them. This isn’t what I believe our founding fathers intended when they created this system. We really need to implement genuine ethics reforms that can hold people accountable. I support term limits, and I don’t oppose adding more justices because clearly, this court isn’t functioning as it should—it seems to operate in favor of Donald Trump and the wealthy. That’s who’s backing justices like Thomas and Alito.

In response, Collins emphasized the importance of maintaining the court’s independence. She dismissed the idea of adding seats to alter the court’s composition, stating:

Our goal should be to have a Supreme Court that is free from political influence. That’s the fundamental principle behind our judicial system, one of the three branches of government designed to work as a check and balance, as envisioned by the founders. Attempting to reshape the court by increasing the number of justices runs counter to what the Constitution writers intended. I’d like to highlight that I’m the only Republican senator who voted for Justice Sotomayor, Justice Jackson, and Justice Kagan. These three liberal justices were appointed by Democratic presidents, aligning more with what I believe the founders sought; they didn’t want the Supreme Court to operate like Congress.

The number of seats on the Supreme Court is not specified in the Constitution. Congress initially established a six-member court in 1789, and the number has changed multiple times before settling on nine members in 1869.