court packing

[ kawrt-pak-ing ]

noun

the practice of changing the number or composition of judges on a court, making it more favorable to particular goals or ideologies, and typically involving an increase in the number of seats on the court: Court packing can tip the balance of the Supreme Court toward the right or left.
U.S. History. an unsuccessful attempt by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 to appoint up to six additional justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, which had invalidated a number of his New Deal laws.

Origin of court packing

First recorded in 1935–40

While I see the argument that court packing would help to alleviate this balance somewhat, I ultimately think it’s bad for democracy.
Are Ambitious Parts Of Democrats’ Agenda Good For Democracy … Or Just The Democratic Party? | Sarah Frostenson (sarah.frostenson@abc.com) | April 14, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Many law professors told us that all the talk of court packing and term limits for judges may have even encouraged the justices to not deviate too much from the mainstream in their decisions.
Are Ambitious Parts Of Democrats’ Agenda Good For Democracy … Or Just The Democratic Party? | Sarah Frostenson (sarah.frostenson@abc.com) | April 14, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
Senators of Roosevelt’s own party did not like court packing, and the measure was tabled.
Beyond Court Packing: The Supreme Court Has Always Been Political | James D. Zirin | November 2, 2020 | Time
Here’s what court packing is, its history and how it could happen.
What is court packing, and why are some Democrats seriously considering it? | Amber Phillips | October 8, 2020 | Washington Post

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