Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Christian D. Menefee

Democrat on Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to Require That the Supreme Court of the United States Be Composed of Nine Justices 2026-09-02

269 words · 15 sentences · 18 clauses

Statement grade

B–

Average 73 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 7%Positioning 22%Claims 63%Reasoning 5%The ask 3%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 19 wordsI rise in opposition to this constitutional amendment that would lock the number of Supreme Court Justices at nine.Procedure Positioning · 40 wordsThe more I listen to this debate, the more it is abundantly clear to me that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have no desire to use the power that was given to us under the Constitution.PositioningUnearned certainty Claims · 65 wordsWhen President Trump starts a war in Iran, they refuse to pass a War Powers Resolution.³Off point Now I am hearing an argument that we should lock the number at nine because that is what the Supreme Court wants, but that is not how the Constitution works. The Constitution says that it is Congress that has the power to set the size of the Supreme Court.¹ Reasoning · 4 wordsIt is our call, Claims · 12 wordsand this has happened multiple times in the history of this country.² Positioning · 19 wordsAsk yourself, why would my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to give that power away?Positioning Claims · 93 wordsBecause they want to lock in this Supreme Court--this Supreme Court that has gutted voting rights, this Supreme Court that has taken away a woman’s right to choose, and this Supreme Court where Justices take secret gifts and private jets and answer to absolutely nobody. Americans are asking for something in the Supreme Court. They are asking for reform. They want to see ethics reform. They want to see term limits. They want to see a Supreme Court that reflects the American people and not just the few, a small group of elites.Off point Reasoning · 10 wordsCongress should be using its power, not giving it away. Mr. Speaker, The ask · 7 wordsI urge my colleagues to vote ``no.’’

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 70

3 of 11 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I rise in opposition to this constitutional amendment that would lock the number of Supreme Court Justices at nine.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “The more I listen to this debate, the more it is abundantly clear to me that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have no desire to use the power that was given to us under the Constitution.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Ask yourself, why would my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to give that power away?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 66

7 of 11 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “When President Trump starts a war in Iran, they refuse to pass a War Powers Resolution.”Raises an unrelated complaint about a war powers vote that has nothing to do with the court-size amendment.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and this Supreme Court where Justices take secret gifts and private jets and answer to absolutely nobody.”Makes ethics allegations against individual Justices that the nine-justices amendment does not address.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Americans are asking for something in the Supreme Court.”Shifts to general public demands rather than the bill under debate.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They are asking for reform.”General reform talk that does not engage with fixing the Court’s size at nine.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They want to see ethics reform.”Ethics reform is a different question from the number of Justices in the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They want to see term limits.”Term limits are a separate proposal not contained in the bill under debate.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They want to see a Supreme Court that reflects the American people and not just the few, a small group of elites.”Talks about the Court’s composition in a demographic sense, not the number fixed by the bill.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 83

1 of 11 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “it is abundantly clear to me”Asserts certainty as a substitute for citing any evidence of colleagues’ motives.

Claims · 3

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“Congress that has the power to set the size of the Supreme Court”search
2“this has happened multiple times in the history of this country”search
3“President Trump starts a war in Iran”search

Analyzed on 2026-09-14