On February 5, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt shocked America by introducing a plan to expand the Supreme Court, to gain favorable outcomes for his New Deal programs. He proposed adding one justice for each sitting justice over the age of 70, with a maximum of 15 justices. This move was seen as an attempt to tilt the balance of the Court in his favor, as several of his key New Deal initiatives had been struck down as unconstitutional by the conservative-leaning Court.
Court packing refers to adding members to the US Supreme Court, which currently has nine justices, to alter its political orientation. The idea behind expanding the Court is to ensure that it is more representative of the current societal values and beliefs. Staggered 18-year terms would bring regular turnover to the bench, leading to a better reflection of prevailing public values.
Critics argue that court packing violates longstanding norms of judicial independence, and that expanding the court's size now would exacerbate politicization. They believe that the Supreme Court should remain apolitical and independent of the other branches of government. With lifetime appointments, it's not unusual for Supreme Court justices to serve well past the average U.S. retirement age of 63, making the stakes of Court packing even higher.