Democratic lawmakers to put forward legislation to add four more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court
The high court is currently comprised of nine justices.
Congressional Democrats are slated to introduce legislation on Thursday that would add four more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, boosting the number of justices on the bench from nine to 13.
Rep. Mondaire Jones of New York, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts are backing the legislation and are slated to participate in a press conference about it on Thursday.
"Supreme Court expansion is infrastructure," Rep. Jones tweeted.
The news comes shortly after the White House announced a commission that will present a report to the president after examining issues related to reforming the nation's high court.
"The Commission's purpose is to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals," according to the White House. "The topics it will examine include the genesis of the reform debate; the Court's role in the Constitutional system; the length of service and turnover of justices on the Court; the membership and size of the Court; and the Court's case selection, rules, and practices."
When House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked about the accuracy of reporting from The Intercept's Ryan Grimm that committee chair Nadler and others would be introducing such legislation, Nadler did not answer Jordan's question.