A Republican-led constitutional amendment to permanently cap the US Supreme Court at nine justices failed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, after most Democrats voted against it. The measure was designed to ease concerns raised repeatedly by President Donald Trump that Democrats might attempt to expand, or "pack", the court if they regain control of Congress, a step some progressive figures have openly floated.

Speaker Mike Johnson fast-tracked the bill by Rep. Andy Biggs but agreed to raise the passage threshold from a simple majority to two-thirds, and it fell short despite winning support from most House members. Republicans argued that fixing the number of justices at nine, the current level, would stop any future majority from stacking the court for political advantage, while Democrats, including Reps. Jamie Raskin and Mary Gay Scanlon, countered that Congress has altered the court's size before and accused Republicans of trying to entrench a conservative majority they say was engineered by Mitch McConnell. Some progressives have proposed expanding the bench to 13 justices, one per federal circuit.