Overview
- Harris, speaking July 31 at the National Urban League conference in Nashville, said the United States should “revisit” expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices and reconsider the Electoral College and statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
- She said she has not decided whether to run in 2028 and is focused on the midterms while continuing recent outreach to progressive figures such as Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
- The comments mark a change from her prior position as vice president and during her 2024 campaign when she favored 18-year term limits for justices and a binding ethics code rather than adding seats to the Court.
- Democrats who back expansion argue it would counter a conservative majority that includes six justices appointed by Republican presidents, while Republicans have criticized proposals tied to the Democratic Socialists of America as radical.
- Any move to add justices would require action by Congress and would raise legal and political fights that could prompt court challenges and shape how voters view judicial and constitutional reform ahead of the next presidential cycle.