FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 23, 2020
CONTACT: Will Hadden Shirley & McVicker Public Affairs
New “Keep Nine” Video Highlights Ginsburg’s Opposition to Court Packing; “Nine Seems to be A Good Number”
Bipartisan “Keep Nine” Amendment permanently ends the threat of court packing, safeguards the judiciary
Washington, DC – Keep Nine, a bipartisan organization of former state Attorneys General dedicated to protecting the Supreme Court, released a new video Thursday highlighting the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s clear opposition to court packing. In an interview with NPR in 2019, Ginsburg remarked that “Nine seems to be a good number. It’s been that way for a long time.” Ginsburg went on to voice her distaste for court packing, or the act of adding Justices to the Supreme Court to gain political power.
The “Keep Nine” amendment was introduced in the House of Representatives last month by Congressmen Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Denver Riggleman (R-VA) in September. It says simply:
“The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices.”
Twelve Senators have added their endorsements to the amendment since its introduction. The “Keep Nine” amendment is the only constitutional amendment addressing court packing with bipartisan support, and it is the only amendment that fixes the Supreme Court permanently at nine.
Keep Nine is encouraging every candidate on the ballot to support the amendment, including President Trump and Joe Biden. Polling shows voters support the amendment by a 3-1 margin, and any candidate supporting “Keep Nine” adds their voice to the firewall protecting the independence of the highest court in the land.
Peterson, Riggleman Introduce Amendment to Permanently Set Size of Supreme Court
September 24, 2020
(Washington, D.C.) Today Representatives Collin C. Peterson (D-MN) and Denver Riggleman (R-VA) introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to permanently set the number of U.S. Supreme Court Justices at nine.
The proposed amendment states: “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices”.
“The Supreme Court is an important part of our country’s system of checks and balances, and it is vital that we preserve its independence,” said Peterson. “I worry that partisan attempts to change the size of the court will set off a judicial arms race which will further divide our country. If one party succeeds in packing the Court, the next party to hold a majority may choose to do the same in retaliation. My amendment will preserve the integrity of the Court and permanently protect Americans from these dangerous proposals.”
“The independence and non-partisan nature of the Supreme Court of the United States is a core aspect of American government,” Riggleman said. “I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation that keeps the number of Supreme Court Justices at 9 and ensures partisan desires to “pack the court” won’t result in a Court that has been undermined by politics.”
Currently, the number of Supreme Court Justices is set by Congress through statute. Lawmakers have changed the number of Justices several times throughout the nation’s history, and last modified the size of the Court in 1869 when Congress raised the number of Justices from seven to nine.
To view more information about the introduction of the KeepNine Amendment by: Peterson and Riggleman Click Here
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2020
Contact: Will Hadden Shirley & McVicker Public Affairs
[email protected] 703.739.5920
Twelve More Former State Attorneys General Back “Keep Nine” Amendment to Ban Court Packing
Washington, D.C. – Twelve former State Attorneys General, including eight elected as Democrats, Robert Abrams, D, NY, George Jepsen, D, CT, Tony Troy, D, VA, Drew Ketterer D, ME, Chris Gorman D, KY Kentucky, Jerry Diamond D, VT, Drew Edmondson, D, OK, Peter Kilmartin D, RI, Jahna Lindemuth, Independent, AK Betty Montgomery R, OH, Jerry Kilgore R, VA, and Tom Corbett, R, and former Governor, PA have newly endorsed the “Keep Nine” Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The Keep Nine Amendment, would be the shortest Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It says simply, “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices.”
The 12 former State Attorneys General join a bipartisan group of eight other former State Attorneys General, including 6 elected as Democrats, who have already endorsed the Amendment: Bill Baxley, AL, Richard Doran, FL, and Jim Jones. ID, Gary King, NM, Rufus Edmisten, NC, Paul Summers, TN, Andrew Miller, VA, and Stephen Rosenthal, VA.
“There is no more important issue for the future of our Constitutional system of checks and balances than protecting the independence of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Keep Nine Amendment will permanently prohibit a future President and Congress from manipulating the size of the Supreme Court for political advantage” said Paul Summers, a Co-Chair of the “Keep Nine” effort.
The Constitution is silent on the number of U.S. Supreme Court Justices and some progressives, including Democratic Vice- Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, have said they are open to passing a law to increase the number of Justices, so more who share their views could be appointed to the Court, a strategy called “Court packing.”
The “Keep Nine” Amendment effort is urging candidates for office at every level to endorse the Amendment to guard against any future “Court packing” attempt.
To reach a spokesperson from Keep Nine, please contact Will Hadden at [email protected] or call 703.739.5920
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2020
CONTACT: Will Hadden Shirley & McVicker Public Affairs [email protected] 703.739.5920
NEW GROUP URGES SUPPORT FOR “KEEP NINE” AMENDMENT TO BAN COURT-PACKING
Amendment Would Preserve Current Number of Nine Supreme Court Justices
Washington, D.C. – A new bipartisan group is urging Democrats and Republicans to support the “Keep Nine” Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which says very simply, “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices.”
The Constitution is now silent on the size of the Supreme Court which would allow a future Congress and President to change the number of Justices, a strategy commonly known as “Court packing.”
A recent poll by John Zogby Strategies shows that by a more than 3-1 margin voters would support the “Keep Nine” Amendment.
Democrats and Biden supporters backed the Amendment by a 2-1 margin, and the margin for Independents and Moderates was nearly 4-1. A significant number of voters were still undecided.
A majority of voters polled said they felt packing the Court would “politicize and undermine the independence of the court and weaken the checks and balances on the abuse of power by a future president or Congress.”
During the primary campaign some Democratic Presidential candidates including Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigeig and Elizabeth Warren indicated they were “open” to increasing the size of the court.
In contrast, soon-to-be Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden and liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg have been among those who have said they oppose efforts to expand the size of the Court.
However there are reports that the 2020 Democratic National Platform will endorse “Structural Change” for the Courts.
“Court packing by one party would almost inevitably lead to retaliatory Court-packing by another party, undermining the independence of the Court and potentially the Rule of Law itself,” said former Virginia Democratic Attorney General Andrew Miller, a leader of the “Keep Nine” group.
“We urge Presidential and Congressional candidates in both parties to endorse the “Keep Nine” Amendment to make clear that no matter who wins this election, the size of the Supreme Court cannot be changed and the independence of the Court, will be permanently preserved,” said Miller.
“Protecting the independence of the Courts should not become a partisan issue,” said Steven Rosenthal, another former Democratic Virginia Attorney General who supports the Amendment.
“Support for the Keep Nine Amendment could be a winning issue for candidates in 2020,” said former Democratic Congressman from West Virginia Nick Rahall.
To reach a spokesperson from Keep Nine, please contact Will Hadden at [email protected] or call 703.739.5920
