NASHVILLE, Tenn. – House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, today announced he filed HJR0065, a resolution urging Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to ensure the U.S. Supreme Court remains composed of nine members.
Lamberth joins a growing coalition of bipartisan leaders and former state attorney generals from across the nation seeking to preserve the independence of the judicial branch and prevent a radical makeover of the United States government.
“The U.S. Supreme Court is the world’s greatest example of judicial independence and integrity and should remain free of political manipulation,” Lamberth said. “This resolution encourages members of Congress to protect the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court by passing a constitutional amendment that safeguards against partisan court packing.”
Currently, the number of Supreme Court Justices is set by Congress. The Coalition to Preserve the Independence of the Supreme Court is leading the “Keep Nine Amendment” movement which is encouraging Congress to include language in the U.S. Constitution saying, “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine justices.”
“I applaud Leader Lamberth and his colleagues in introducing and sponsoring this resolution – it clearly promotes the independence of the judiciary,” said former Tennessee Attorney General Paul Summers, who serves as co-chair of the Coalition to Preserve the Independence of the Supreme Court.
“Keep Nine promotes the Rule of Law and maintains checks and balances on abuse of power by the other two political branches. We’ve had nine justices for 152 years, and our judiciary has proven it can and should be nonpolitical. This amendment constitutionally bans court packing,” Summers said.
The Judiciary Act of 1869 changed the number of Supreme Court justices from six to nine. Congress last rejected an effort to expand the nation’s highest court in 1937 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed adding eight new justices which would have expanded the court to 15 members.
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