Democratic strategist James Carville is not being subtle. On his podcast, Carville said he would “bet money” that Democrats will win the presidency in 2028 and then move to expand the Supreme Court. He laid out the plan in plain language. If Democrats win the White House, the Senate, and the House, they will not waste the moment. They will change the number of justices on the Supreme Court.
Carville said Democrats would set up a transition advisory committee whose purpose would be to recommend increasing the Court from nine justices to thirteen. He spoke as if it were already decided. According to reporting in the New York Post, Carville said he would bet a lot of money on it happening.
Carville is not floating a new idea. He is confirming one.
Democrats Have Already Been Laying the Groundwork
While Carville’s comments got attention because of how direct they were, top Democrats have been talking about expanding the Court for several years.
In 2023, Senate and House Democrats introduced a bill called the Judiciary Act of 2023 that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to thirteen justices. Senator Ed Markey said at the time, “Republicans have hijacked the confirmation process and stolen the Supreme Court majority. It is time we expand the Court.”
Progressive activists and some members of Congress have been even more open about the goal. After a major ruling on a Texas abortion law, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted, “Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing.” She framed it as a choice between action and surrender.
These are not fringe voices. They have influence inside the Democratic Party. Carville’s comments are the most blunt confirmation yet that expanding the Court is not a fringe idea. It is a plan tied to winning power.
Why Carville’s Statement Matters
Carville did not present expansion as a debate. He explained it as an outcome. If Democrats win unified control, they will add seats and reshape the Court’s direction for decades.
The consequences are obvious:
- The Supreme Court is currently the main check on the federal government, and it’s loaded with conservative justices thanks to President Trump
- Adding four new justices would give Democrats the ability to flip decisions on free speech, gun rights, election law, religious liberty, abortion, and federal regulatory power
- It would end the current conservative majority in one move
Carville also predicted that Democrats will win in 2028 because voters will be hungry for change. It is rare to see a strategist talk this confidently three years ahead of an election, but Carville is well known for shooting his mouth off when he’s fired up.
Republicans often think in terms of policies. Democrats, at least according to Carville, are thinking in terms of power. Democrats play to win, Republicans, too often, play to break even.
The Stakes
The next presidential election is not only about who signs bills. It may decide whether the Supreme Court remains at nine justices or becomes thirteen. That would change the ideological lean of the judiciary for a generation.
Carville said the quiet part out loud, and he’s daring the country to stop them.
Democrats are already lined up behind the idea of expanding the Court. Carville is now saying the plan will be carried out as soon as Democrats get the votes.
This idea plays directly into the question of Republicans nuking the filibuster. Doing so now could give Democrats permission also to make structural changes like court-packing should they regain power in the future. This is a chess match with high stakes.