INTERVIEW: The case for 9 justices
Tangle
00:00
Is Nine Better Than 15?
We began in 1789 with six. Then we had five, then we had six, then We had seven, and then we got up to nine in 1837. In the Civil War created a situation where Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, decided that the Dred Scott decision was not a good law. And so he increased the number to 10. But just think about the math. I mean, when one party is dissatisfied, they simply increase the members of the court - it keeps going back and forth depending on which party is in power. It makes no sense, political policy or otherwise.
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