Court-Packing, Historical Ignorance & Constitutional Illiteracy
Court-Packing, Historical Ignorance & Constitutional Illiteracy
We have Democrats who act like they are above everyone on their elite political perches, but as Pramila Jayapal and Meghan Hays demonstrated, they don’t even know the basics of history and the United States Constitution;
Douglas V. Gibbs ——Bio and Archives--May 18, 2026
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The proposal to expand the Supreme Court has resurfaced in American political discourse, with former Vice President Kamala Harris, during a statement in which she said “there are no bad ideas,” expressing support for adding liberal justices to the High Court. This controversial idea, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously attempted in 1937, has reignited a fierce debate about judicial independence and political power.
Since when did any Democrat care about the truth?
During a recent segment on Fox News' The Sunday Briefing, a clip of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) defending the concept of court expansion was played. She stated, "It's a message I've had for quite a while. You know, we need transparency and accountability on the Supreme Court. It has been expanded in the past to reflect the changes in population. That's not a crazy idea. It's been done throughout the history of our country."
Jayapal's reference to historical precedents is factually accurate in the sense that the number of justices has been changed a number of times, but it wasn’t due to population increases. This is where Congresswoman Jayapal’s explanation runs into problems when it comes to the truth about history. Then again, since when did any Democrat care about the truth?
The Supreme Court has indeed changed size seven times throughout American history, ranging from as few as five justices to as many as ten. The Judiciary Act of 1789 initially established six justices, and Congress adjusted the number several times before settling on nine in 1869. These changes were politically........
