Western NY Congressman Supports Amendment to Prevent Supreme Court from Expanding

App users, tap here to watch video report.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Joe Sempolinski (R-NY) said he’s supporting legislation that would keep the US Supreme Court at just nine justices.

Currently, congress has the power to change the number of justices on our highest court.The New York representative said he’s co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment after there have been recent calls to expand the Supreme Court. Renewed enthusiasm to expand the number of justices picked back up again following the Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade earlier this year.

“It’s bubbled up again recently to change the number of justices on the Supreme Court for political purposes, change the court set up because you don’t like the outcomes that you might get,” said Rep. Joe Sempolinski (R- NY). “And I’m against that. I think it would be a positive innovation to our constitutional system a lock in the status quo of nine justices since the 1800s.”

Congress has already changed the number of justices on the court before. However, there have been nine justices on the Supreme Court since the mid 1800s.