Serious question. On SC judges.

[bluestarone]

When Joe and Kamala wins in November is there any chance at all to add any judges to the SC? This court really sucks.

[RandySF]

1. They CAN if we still have a trifecta.

But Biden and Senate Dems have no appetite for it.

[bluestarone]

2. Really hope that changes.

[edhopper]

3. No

We just won't have the majorities in Congress and the Senate to do it.

[bluestarone]

4. Do we need 2/3rds majority? or just

A majority vote?

[edhopper]

10. We would need 60 Senators just to move it forward.

[MichMan]

15. Not if the filibuster is eliminated

[Pretty Fly]

16. No. But I doubt they'd have the votes to a) eliminate the filibuster and b) support expanding the court.

...and this is because their majority is almost certainly going to be 50+the VP beyond a crazy situation where they flip a seat like Scott's in Florida or Cruz's in Texas (unlikely tbh).

That means EVERY Democratic senator would have to support it and I don't know if they could garner 50 votes from, say, Jon Tester, who said in 2022 he opposed expanding the court.

Maybe they could - but I wouldn't count on it.

[0rganism]

17. weren't senate rules modified in 2017 to allow simple majorities for SCOTUS (and other) confirmations?

I seem to recall that was a thing that happened. Some, but not all, current justices got their jobs due to this modification, IIRC.

ETA: OK, looks like you're focusing on the votes needed to expand the court, not replacements. Yeah that's gonna need 60.

[edhopper]

18. Confirmations

Are different from adding Justices

[MichMan]

5. I'd like to see 50 more added

One from each state

[Elessar Zappa]

6. We'd need to get rid of the filibuster.

So we’d need 51Senators with every one on board with getting rid of it.

[Zeitghost]

9. No filibusters for SCotUS nominees

Democrats ended it for non-SCotUS nominees in 2013 and the Republicans got rid of it for SCotUS nominations in 2016.

[Wounded Bear]

11. But we would need to kill the filibuster to expand the Court to 13 or 15...nt

[Elessar Zappa]

12. We need it to increase the number of judges on the Court.

[Zeitghost]

7. Short of a death, I don't see it happening

There is some pressure on Sotomayor who will be 70 soon, but I don't see that happening. Kagan is only 63 and Brown Jackson is 53 and just got there.

None of the conservatives will step down voluntarily under a Biden administration.

[gopiscrap]

8. I hope they do

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

13. The number of Justices is set by law

So the law could be changed to increase the number. But we would need control of the House, Senate, and White House. And 60 votes in the Senate to overcome the inevitable filibuster. But as someone has pointed out, the appetite to change the number of Justices or to remove the legislative filibuster isn't there.

[bluestarone]

14. I was afraid of this

Bummer!!!