US Supreme Court
US Supreme CourtiStock

Congressional Democrats on Thursday will introduce legislation proposing to expand the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) from nine justices to thirteen, NBC News reported.

The bill is led by Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, and co-sponsored by Reps. Hank Johnson of Georgia and Mondaire Jones of New York. Its introduction will be announced outside the Supreme Court building, NBC added.

While Congress can act to expand the Supreme Court, it is not clear that the bill will pass.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has stated that he is not in favor of "packing" the court, which has had nine justices since 1869.

NBC quoted Brian Fallon, a former Senate Democratic leadership aide and a co-founder of "Demand Justice," who said: "This bill marks a new era where Democrats finally stop conceding the Supreme Court to Republicans."

"Our task now is to build a grassroots movement that puts pressure on every Democrat in Congress to support this legislation because it is the only way to restore balance to the court and protect our democracy," he said.