Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.

House Joint Resolution

H.J.Res. 1

119th Congress

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 3, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Sponsor information unavailable

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine—one chief justice and eight associate justices. The amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to become part of the Constitution.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced1/3/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine—one chief justice and eight associate justices. The amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and

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This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine—one chief justice and eight associate justices. The amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to become part of the Constitution.

Bill Number: 1
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.
Bill Number: 1
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Summary: This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine—one chief justice and eight associate justices. The amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-four

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine—one chief justice and eight associate justices. The amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to become part of the Constitution.

Last updated: 3/3/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The resolution would add language to the Constitution requiring the Supreme Court to have exactly nine justices.
Currently, the Constitution does not specify how many justices must serve on the Supreme Court, leaving that decision to Congress through regular legislation.
The number of Supreme Court justices has been set at nine since 1869, but Congress could change this number by passing a new law.
If this constitutional amendment is adopted, changing the number of justices would require another constitutional amendment rather than just a new law.
The amendment must be ratified by 38 states within seven years of congressional approval to take effect.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This resolution would affect how the Supreme Court operates by locking in its current size and preventing future Congresses from expanding or reducing the number of justices without going through the difficult constitutional amendment process. It would impact all three branches of government by removing Congress's current ability to change the Court's size through ordinary legislation. The practical effect would be to make any future changes to the Court's composition much harder to achieve.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

1, 119th Congress (2025). "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hjres-1

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