Buttigieg Advocates for Supreme Court Reform
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed his ongoing support for increasing the number of seats on the Supreme Court, suggesting that reforms could help reduce partisanship within the institution. This statement came during his appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker on September 13.
When Welker asked him about his past endorsement for expanding the court from nine to fifteen justices, Buttigieg affirmed his stance. He noted that he had originally proposed these changes years ago during his presidential campaign, a time when the idea was met with skepticism.
“Back then, it was a pretty lonely position,” he recalled, pointing out that his suggestions seemed to baffle some. Yet, he believes that recent events have brought more people around to the idea, arguing that the court has increasingly displayed partisan tendencies.
Buttigieg emphasized that his motivation for advocating reform is not merely about adding justices for the sake of it. “The goal is to transform the institution to make it less partisan,” he stated, although he did not provide specifics on how many seats he thinks should be added.
In a related discussion, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the topic of court expansion during a CNN town hall in October 2024. After an audience member inquired about increasing the number of justices to twelve, she pointed to diminishing public confidence in the court, mentioning the actions of certain justices and the controversial Dobbs ruling. Harris asserted, “I do believe that there should be some kind of reform of the court, and we can study what that actually looks like.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder has also shown support for exploring the idea of expanding the Supreme Court. He described the institution as “broken” and suggested that if Democrats gain control in 2028, they should consider reforms, including possibly adding seats. In response, Trump claimed such changes would “destroy our Constitution” while advocating for the elimination of the Senate filibuster. Holder has been vocal about his support for both court expansion and implementing 18-year term limits for justices.
Buttigieg has made additional calls for political reform, such as during a May 2026 town hall in Tulsa, where he argued for replacing the Electoral College with a system based on the national popular vote. He believes this shift would prompt candidates from both parties to campaign in different regions, stating that the individual with the most votes should be the one to assume the presidency. Notably, Trump won both the Electoral College and the popular vote in 2024.
Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential race, Buttigieg is currently polling among the top Democratic contenders. A University of New Hampshire poll showed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leading with 22 percent among Democratic primary voters, followed closely by Buttigieg at 21 percent. Other candidates, like Sen. Mark Kelly and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, trailed significantly.
Another poll conducted by the Public Sentiment Institute in August indicated that Buttigieg garnered 24.2 percent support amongst likely Democratic primary voters in Michigan. Meanwhile, 21.7 percent were undecided, and Harris trailed with 5.1 percent. The report also touched on Harris’s outreach efforts as she prepares for a potential 2028 campaign, along with Trump’s statements regarding a possible VP nomination for JD Vance and a Secretary of State role for Marco Rubio.
