Currently pending national legislation would increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to bring it into the 21st century.
The Constitution does not set the number of supreme court justices but rather grants Congress the power to determine the number.
Historically the number of justices has ranged from six to 10.
The current number of nine was set in 1869; nine justices and there were 9 appellant courts.
The nation has undergone dramatic changes in the intervening 154 years.
Population has increased from 38.5 million to 332.3 million.
Thirteen states have joined the union.
The number of congressional members increased from 294 to 535.
Women gained the right to vote.
Transportation is the poster child of how dramatically life has changed.
Neither cars nor planes were even invented.
Now we have self-driving cars and space exploration.
SCOTUS hands down decisions that change the lives of thousands.
Thus they should embrace change which would result in SCOTUS more adequately representing an expanded nation.
It is beyond time to bring SCOTUS into the 21st century.
The proposed legislative number is 13 to match the current 13 appellant courts.
The bumper sticker language of court packing is nothing more than a scare tactic which defies the reality of the outdated nature of SCOTUS.
Norma Turner
Port Angeles