Kamala Harris says the US Supreme Court should expand to 13 justices

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that the United States should consider expanding the Supreme Court to be made up of 13 justices, a popular idea among Democrats who have increasingly pushed for court reform. “We need to revisit the point of expanding the court to 13 justices like we have 13 district courts,” Harris said at the National Urban League’s annual conference in Nashville, also calling for a review of the Electoral College and statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. The federal judiciary has 13 circuit courts and 94 district courts, according to the Department of Justice. Her comments come as potential 2028 presidential candidates jockey to push reforms to US institutions after President Donald Trump leaves office. Her remarks were more forceful than when she said during her 2020 White House bid that she was “open to that discussion.” As vice president, Harris backed Supreme Court changes proposed by President Joe Biden such as term limits, though those proposals did not include increasing the number of justices. Democrats have proposed expanding the nine-member court to counter what they see as disproportionate conservative influence over its decision-making. Six of the nine justices currently on the court were appointed by Republican presidents, including three who were selected by Trump. Harris expressed a similar sentiment about growing the court’s ranks during an interview last month with former CNN host Don Lemon. She said she “absolutely believe(s) we should be exploring” court expansion and that she agreed with calls for 13 justices. Among other potential 2028 contenders, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has long called for expanding the court, pitching a 15-member court in his 2020 run. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is also a longtime proponent of adding more justices. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has voiced skepticism of increasing the number of justices, but in an interview last month with Brian Tyler Cohen, a progressive media personality who supports court expansion, Newsom said he was warming to the idea. This story has been updated with additional details.