On Thursday, a group of Democrats began a legislative effort to pack the Supreme Court by adding four extra justices.
The announcement by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and House members Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) outside the Supreme Court was met with outrage by Republican lawmakers.
Former President Donald Trump has previously warned about the issue, saying that it would "destabilize" the country.
"We're here today because the United States Supreme Court is broken," Markey said. "It is out of balance. It needs to be fixed.”
Markey added, “Expanding the Supreme Court rights the wrongs the Republicans have done to this great court. Expanding the Supreme Court is equal justice and will ensure equal justice is dispensed to all Americans."
In attendance were Democratic Congress members and activists.
Nadler described the move as “We’re not packing (the Supreme Court). We’re unpacking it.”
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) in an interview with Fox News blasted the move by Democrats to add four “liberal justices” to the nine-seat court to gain a permanent 8-4 majority. He said it will cause the Court to “lose all legitimacy.”
“It will be the end of the Supreme Court’s legitimacy and the end of the rule of law in America,” he said. “One reason that we respect the rule of law is that our Constitution created an independent judiciary to protect the rights of Americans and to create a final tribunal.”
The legislation will likely not pass the Senate unless the Democrats eliminate the filibuster, which requires a 60 vote majority for legislation to pass.
"We must expand the court, and we must abolish the filibuster to do it," Markey said.
President Joe Biden is reportedly waiting for the findings of a 36-member bipartisan commission on court reform before making up his mind on the matter.