Pete Buttigieg Calls for Supreme Court Reforms to Restore Public Trust

Pete Buttigieg Advocates for Supreme Court Changes

Pete Buttigieg, a Democrat, has renewed his call for significant reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court. Appearing on Fox News, he argued that changes are necessary to restore public trust in an institution increasingly seen as partisan.

Confidence in the Supreme Court has plummeted to historic lows. Buttigieg proposed several structural reforms, including expanding the court, imposing term limits for justices, and adopting a ‘balanced bench’ model to mitigate partisan influence. He emphasized, ‘The legitimacy of the Supreme Court is, I believe, the lowest it’s ever been in the eyes of the American people.’

Buttigieg warned that the country faces a choice between reform and potential catastrophe if current trends persist.

Buttigieg’s Proposed Reforms

Expanding the Court to 13 Justices

Buttigieg supports increasing the Supreme Court’s size from its current nine members to 13 justices, a number that aligns with the 13 federal judicial circuits. He stated, ‘I also think we would be better off with a court having 13 justices that would match the number of districts that we have in the federal system.’

The U.S. Constitution does not specify how many justices the court must have, leaving that decision to Congress, which has changed the number several times before settling on nine in 1869.

Imposing Term Limits

Buttigieg endorsed Supreme Court term limits to make appointments more predictable and reduce the political stakes surrounding vacancies. He noted, ‘At a minimum, term limits so that, for each presidential term, you know how many Supreme Court appointments are going to go with it.’

Most proposals from legal scholars suggest 18-year staggered terms, allowing each president to nominate two justices during a four-year term. These ideas have been backed by other Democratic leaders recently.

Creating a Balanced Bench

Buttigieg expressed interest in a balanced bench model, although he is not committed to one single vision of reform. The model would have some justices appointed by Democratic presidents, some by Republican presidents, while additional justices could only join through agreement among existing members.

‘There are a lot of interesting different ideas and proposals for how to do it,’ Buttigieg said. ‘One of them is called a balanced bench.’

The Details of the Balanced Bench System

The balanced bench system would expand the court to 15 justices. Ten would be appointed through traditional presidential nomination and Senate confirmation processes, split evenly between Democratic and Republican presidents over time. These 10 justices would then unanimously select an additional five consensus justices, expected to have broader support across ideological lines.

Supporters argue this system would promote moderation and reduce the appointment of highly ideological judges. Critics suggest implementation could be challenging and might raise constitutional and political questions.

Current Supreme Court Structure and Issues

Reasons Against Term Limits

Supreme Court justices currently serve for life as long as they maintain ‘good behaviour,’ per Article III of the U.S. Constitution. This lifetime appointment system was designed to protect judicial independence from political pressures and elections. There is no mandatory retirement age.

Changing this system might require a constitutional amendment, though some scholars believe Congress could establish staggered 18-year terms by legislation while allowing retired justices to serve in a limited capacity. Legal uncertainty remains.

Current Number of Justices

The Supreme Court currently has nine justices: Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Congress set the number at nine in 1869, and it has remained unchanged for over 150 years.

Average Age of Supreme Court Justices

The current Supreme Court is relatively aged compared to other federal institutions, with an average age of about 61. Clarence Thomas is the oldest at 78, followed by Samuel Alito at 76, and Chief Justice John Roberts at 71. The youngest member is Amy Coney Barrett at 54.

Because justices serve lifetime appointments, many remain well into their 70s or 80s, making vacancies rare and politically significant.

Ideological Division of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is generally perceived as having a 6-3 conservative majority. The conservative justices are Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson are regarded as liberal.

While judges do not always vote along ideological lines, the conservative majority has delivered landmark rulings on topics such as abortion, gun rights, presidential powers, and federal agencies’ roles, sparking national debate over the court’s legitimacy and possible reforms.

Understanding ‘Court Packing’

‘Court packing’ refers to the proposal to expand the number of Supreme Court justices so a president and Congress can appoint more members, potentially shifting the court’s ideological balance. Congress has changed the court’s size multiple times, with the current nine-member court decided in 1869.

The term is most associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unsuccessful 1937 plan to add up to six new justices after the Supreme Court blocked several New Deal programs. Critics accused Roosevelt of attempting to reshape the court in his favor.

Recently, the idea has gained attention, especially after Republicans secured a 6-3 conservative majority. Some Democrats argue expanding the court could rebalance its ideological makeup, but opponents worry it would undermine judicial independence and lead to repeated expansions whenever political power shifts.

Though Buttigieg supports expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices, he presents his proposal as part of broader institutional reforms—including term limits and a balanced bench—rather than merely adding seats to gain political advantage.