Clyburn calls for expanding Supreme Court, says ’13 is a pretty good number’

# Why This Matters Clyburn's endorsement of court expansion signals that Democratic leadership is seriously considering a structural response to what they view as an ideologically captured judiciary, particularly following the Supreme Court's decisions to overturn Roe v. Wade and restrict voting rights protections. If Democrats act on this proposal, it would fundamentally alter the institutional balance of power by allowing the majority party to reshape the bench through appointments, transforming the Court from an independent check on executive and legislative power into a more directly political institution. This creates an escalatory precedent: Republicans could expand the Court further if they regain power, potentially leading to a cycle of institutional retaliation that destabilizes the judiciary's perceived legitimacy and independence. The practical effect would be that major constitutional questions—on abortion, voting rights, gun control, and religious liberty—would be decided not by constitutional interpretation but by which party controls Congress and the presidency, reducing the Court's insulation from electoral politics and making judicial appointments even more central to electoral strategy.