Dem lawmakers crafting bill to add 4 justices to US Supreme Court

Congressional Democrats are reportedly set to release their proposed plan for the U.S. Supreme Court expansion on Thursday, according to inside sources familiar with the legislative measure.

The Intercept reports the proposed legislation, led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), subcommittee Chair Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and first-term Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) would add an additional four Justices to the Supreme Court.

Over the years, the number of Supreme Court justices has fluctuated and the political canvas of the high court has also shifted. Conservatives managed to gain control of the Supreme Court when they expedited the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney-Barrett.

That controversial confirmation came after Republican lawmakers denied former President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland who now serves as U.S. Attorney General under the Biden administration.

At the time of Trump's nomination of Barrett, then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was pressured to exhaust all options to stall or block her confirmation, but to no avail. The lawmaker received a letter from 20 elected officials in his home state of New York.

"Not only do these extremist judges threaten more than a century of progressive achievements," said a letter that was written to Schumer on behalf of 20 elected officials in New York, "they threaten to foreclose the possibility of any future progress under a Democratic administration."

After Democrats fell short in their efforts to block Barrett's confirmation, discussions about the expansion of the court ensued.