Aren't we able to increase # of Supreme Court Justices?

[madmunchie]

I seem to remember that was a possibility if Bushbot put ultra conservative judges on the SC. Was I having a dream, or is there some truth to this?

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Once the executive powers are increased, and we get a Dem president

in office, we can do anything we want to do.

[HereSince1628]

3. I'm 53, do you suppose I'll live long enough to see that day?

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Well, we're 19 Senators away from a minority.

[valerief]

2. Yay! More Federalist Society judges! NOT

[NighthawkMS]

4. Unfortunately

From what I know of history, congress has little to no control over the amount of appointed judges on the Court. Go look up Marbury vs. Madison, though that may only apply to the lower courts.

[MrMonk]

7. Congress has the sole power to create courts

I believe that they also have the sole power to determine how many judges may sit in a single Court or Circuit.

[Solly Mack]

11. Yes. Congress determines the number of justices

by federal statute

[Innocent Smith]

5. FDR

FDR tried and failed in the 30's. It can be done, but won't be done.

[mmonk]

8. Deja Vu

We're getting ready to fight the same fight he did then.

[Burning Water]

9. Not unless we

control Congress and pass a law. What do you suppose the chance of that is?

I don't understand why so many people think that there's a damn thing we can do without winning elections Oh, yeah, we can do theater, like today. It's useful for educating the sheeple, and maybe get the adrenalin going among the base. But to do something, we have to win elections.

[jfern]

10. It's been changed before

From Wiki:

The Constitution does not specify the size of the Supreme Court; instead, Congress has the power to fix the number of Justices. Originally, the total number of Justices was set at six by the Judiciary Act of 1789. As the country grew geographically, the number of Justices steadily increased. The court was expanded to seven members in 1807, nine in 1837 and ten in 1863. In 1866, however, Congress wished to deny President Andrew Johnson any Supreme Court appointments, and therefore passed the Judicial Circuits Act, which provided that the next three Justices to retire would not be replaced; thus, the size of the Court would eventually reach seven by attrition. Consequently, one seat was removed in 1866 and a second in 1867. By the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, the number of Justices was again set at nine (the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices), where it has remained ever since. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to expand the Court (see Court-packing Bill); his plan would have allowed the President to appoint one new, additional justice for every justice who reached the age of seventy but did not retire from the bench, until the Court reached a maximum size of fifteen justices. Ostensibly, this was to ease the burdens of the docket on the elderly judges, but it was widely recognized that the President's actual purpose was to add Justices who would favor his New Deal policies, which had been regularly ruled unconstitutional by the Court. The plan failed in Congress and the court changed course to accommodate the President's desires (see The switch in time that saved nine). In any case, Roosevelt's long tenure in the White House allowed him to appoint a large number of Justices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

[MrDem12]

12. Bush will pick 2 maybe 3 more.

I am so incredibly depressed!!! Bush most likely will get 2 or 3 more picks.

2 OR 3 MORE PICKS!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!?????

Absolutley we have worked so hard will be utterly destroyed! Everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrDem12]

13. 2 OR 3 MORE PICKS!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!?????

I am so incredibly depressed!!! Bush most likely will get 2 or 3 more picks.

2 OR 3 MORE PICKS!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!?????

Absolutley we have worked so hard will be utterly destroyed! Everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!