James Clyburn said on Sunday that Congress should expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices. He made the call in remarks to Meet the Press, tying the proposal to justices who will follow the constitutional underpinnings of America.
The proposal would change the size of the court from its current total to 13, if Congress acted on it. Clyburn, a Rep. (D-S.C.), put the idea forward as a public call rather than a formal legislative step.
Meet the Press remarks
Clyburn’s comments were brief but specific. He said Congress should expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices and said the justices should be the kind who “will follow the constitutional underpinnings” of America.
That language points to a structural change, not a routine personnel shift. Adding four seats would alter how the court is made up and would require Congress to take action before any change could take effect.
Congress and the court
The question now is procedural, not rhetorical. Congress would have to move legislation that changes the number of seats, and the court would not change on its own.
Clyburn’s statement puts the issue on the table in public, but the source does not say whether Congress plans to take it up. For now, the practical effect is limited to the proposal itself: a sitting member of Congress has asked for a bigger Supreme Court and given a specific number.
That leaves the next step with Congress. If lawmakers do not act, the court stays as it is; if they do, the size of the Supreme Court becomes the issue at hand.
