Alabama’s five House Republicans voted Wednesday for a constitutional amendment locking the U.S. Supreme Court at nine justices, while U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) and Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) joined nearly every House Democrat in voting it down.

Alabama’s Republican delegation to the U.S. House wants to keep Democrats from radically transforming the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced H.J.Res. 1, a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the Supreme Court to nine justices.

The amendment is a single sentence: “The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine justices consisting of one chief justice and eight associate justices.”

It cleared the House Judiciary Committee June 3 on a 15-8 party-line vote and failed on the floor Wednesday, 212-206 — a majority, but short of the two-thirds required. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, plus ratification by 38 states.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who voted for the amendment himself, said in a statement after it failed: “Defending the integrity of the Supreme Court shouldn’t be a controversial vote.”

U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) all voted yes, according to the House clerk’s roll call.

Sewell and Figures voted no, along with 203 other Democrats. The only Democrat to cross over was U.S. Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina.

“I proudly voted in favor of H.J. Res. 1, a proposed constitutional amendment to keep the U.S. Supreme Court at nine justices,” Strong said.

“This proposal would have maintained the court’s integrity and prevented the radical left from packing it with progressive activists. Democrats showed today that they’ll stop at nothing to politicize our judicial system.”

I proudly voted in favor of H.J. Res. 1, a proposed constitutional amendment to keep the U.S. Supreme Court at nine justices. This proposal would have maintained the court's integrity and prevented the radical left from packing it with progressive activists. Democrats showed…

— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) September 2, 2026

Democrats have suggested for years that they could add justices to the court in reaction to several rulings going against their progressive agenda.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee