Court-packing
Definition
The act of changing the number or composition of judges on a court, making it more favorable to particular goals or ideologies.
Analogy
Imagine you're playing a board game and you're losing. So, you decide to change the rules so that they favor your strategy. That's essentially what court-packing is - altering who's making decisions (the judges) so that those decisions are more likely to align with certain viewpoints.
Related terms
Judicial Activism: When judges interpret Constitution based on their own political or personal beliefs rather than on existing law.
FDR’s New Deal: A series of programs enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933-1939 designed for relief, recovery, and reform during Great Depression; FDR attempted court-packing during this era.
Checks and Balances: System where each branch of government has some measure of influence over the other branches and may choose to block procedures from other branches.
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