This joint resolution proposes to amend the U.S. Constitution to require that the U.S. Supreme Court be composed of nine justices—one chief justice and eight associate justices. By placing this requirement in the Constitution, the resolution would prevent future presidents and Congress from easily changing the number of Supreme Court seats. If adopted by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, the amendment would then need to be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years to take effect, making it a significant and lasting change to the structure of the nation’s highest court.
