Democrats sink Republican bid to cement US Supreme Court's conservative majority

House Republicans forced a vote to constitutionally cap the Supreme Court at nine, but it failed 212-206 — largely a pre-election messaging move.
Republicans say the measure blocks Democratic “court‑packing” after recent conservative appointments; Democrats called it partisan and have floated expanding the court to 13.
The Constitution doesn’t fix the number of justices (it’s varied historically); the Court has had nine justices since 1869.