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No. Congress has changed the number of justices on the US Supreme Court nine times in the history of the Court. This does not include years when vacancies were unfilled, reducing the number of justices by one or more.

The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for a 6-member Court, with a Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices. Congress adjusted the size of the Court a number of times through the during the 19th-century.

  1. Judiciary Act of 1789: Court size 6
  2. Judiciary Act of 1801: Court size, 5
  3. Repeal Act of 1802: Court size, 6
  4. Seventh Circuit Act of 1807: Court size, 7
  5. Judiciary Act of 1837: Court size, 9
  6. Tenth Circuit Act of 1863: Court size, 10
  7. Judicial Circuit Act of 1866: Court size, 7
  8. Habeas Corpus Act of 1867: Court size, 8
  9. Judiciary Act of 1869: Court size, 9

After the election of President Ulysses S. Grant, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1869, which set the Court's membership at nine. This number has remained the same ever since.

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14y ago

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The United States Constitution does not specify how many justices should sit on the Supreme Court. The Judiciary Act of 1789 called for six justices. Congress increased the numbers to 7, then 9 and then 10 between 1807 and 1863. In 1866 it was decided to essentially shrink the court back to 7 justices, through attrition (not replacing judges that retired or left the bench until there was seven). It dropped to eight seated justices in 1969, when the Judiciary Act of 1969 was passed. This act called for the seating of 9 justices, where it remains today.

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16y ago
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yes no matter what the supreme court always has 9 members or 9 justices

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12y ago
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Congress set the number of justices on the US Supreme Court at nine in the Judiciary Act of 1869, about 142 years ago (as of 2011).

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14y ago
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Yes. There are eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice on the US Supreme Court.

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14y ago
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there are 9

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13y ago
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yes

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13y ago
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Q: Have there always been nine justices on the US Supreme Court?
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