Senator Unveils Bill to Increase Size of Supreme Court to 15

Supporters say the bill will ensure transparency and accountability while critics say it is an effort to make the high court more liberal.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 19, 2021. Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) unveiled comprehensive reform legislation on Sept. 26 to add six justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, raising the total from the current nine members to 15.

The measure follows a bipartisan commission established by President Joe Biden found in late 2021 that Congress had authority to expand Supreme Court membership, and took no position on whether it should be done.