California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week he is now open to expanding the Supreme Court, a shift from his earlier stance, while also criticizing the Electoral College as having “perverted” American politics.
Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, made the remarks Tuesday during an interview with former CNN host Don Lemon on his podcast. Asked directly whether the judicial branch should be expanded — an idea backed by several prominent Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris — Newsom said his thinking has changed.
“My initial instinct — me, a year ago, I would have said no out of concern that it will continue to be expanded,” Newsom said. “And I was making a case for the ethical reforms and term limits, 18 years, which I was making a case a year ago. I’m more open to it on the basis of those district court arguments, which are not terrible arguments.”
When Lemon pressed him — “Is that a yes?” — Newsom did not give a firm answer.
“I’m finding myself evolving on it. I normally have very clear conviction on things. I’ve been open to argument and interested in the evidence on this,” Newsom said.
He described his overall stance as “caution on expanding it, but openness,” and said he still considers reforms such as 18-year term limits for justices a “no-brainer.”
Electoral College criticism
Newsom reserved sharper words for the Electoral College, arguing that California’s size and representation make the system unfair.
“California has already been a leader that’s already gone out front saying it’s time to change that system. Which state’s more burdened by it than my state? We’re the size of 21 state populations combined. Come on. And we have two representatives in the Senate? Come on. And the way that thing favors … it’s perverted, I think, our politics. The Constitution is a living document, and it was conceived to be amended, and I think it’s time to make that amendment,” Newsom said.
Fox News Digital said it reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
A pattern of remarks
This is not the first time Newsom has signaled some openness to reshaping the court. In a June interview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, who argued in favor of expanding the court, Newsom told him he was “getting me closer to your point of view.”
Separately, during a Monday interview with “PBS NewsHour,” Newsom said the Democratic Party is “pretty aligned” with the Democratic Socialists of America on issues including universal healthcare, climate change and moving away from fossil fuels. The DSA has called for eliminating the Supreme Court altogether and replacing it with a judiciary selected by Congress.
The comments come after House Democrats recently voted against a constitutional amendment that would have capped the Supreme Court at nine justices. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., warned against the precedent that expanding the court could set.
“Here’s the question every American should ask: If a sitting majority can change the size of the Supreme Court the moment it dislikes rulings, what happens to the next time the other side is in power?” Biggs said on the House floor.
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