The most recent Supreme Court term came to a close with monumental decisions in several cases. This included major wins regarding birthright citizenship and mail-in voting, but also critical losses around campaign finances and transgender rights.

In light of the Supreme Court’s many controversial decisions in recent years, many people have called for its expansion. The desire to expand SCOTUS is rooted in the hope that doing so would allow the appointment of judges who are more aligned with the desires of the people.

This concept, “court packing,” is an old political strategy. The most famous example occurred in 1937, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) sought to add justices who supported his New Deal.

Below, we’ll review the history of court packing, why it hasn’t been successful, and what lessons we can learn from past attempts.

Franklin Roosevelt’s Court Packing Plan and Its Lessons for Today
By: Thomas Tai
LWVUS Blog / Last Updated: July 16, 2026