Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Derek Schmidt

Republican 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

198 words · 9 sentences · 14 clauses

Statement grade

Average 92 / 100

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

Claims 82%Procedure 18%

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

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 57 wordsyou will hear from advocates of Court expansion that the Court is a mere rubber stamp for Trump. This is a Court that defied Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, to deport people without a hearing, to send troops to Chicago, to use emergency powers to impose tariffs, and to revoke birthright citizenship by executive order. Procedure · 22 wordsSome of my colleagues on both sides may be surprised that I just uttered those words, but those are not my words.Procedure Claims · 43 wordsThose are the words of three of my former colleagues, three former State Democratic attorneys general, who strongly support the Keep Nine Amendment and disagree with my friends on the other side: Chris Gorman from Kentucky, Steve Rosenthal, ¹and Tony Troy from Virginia.² Mr. Speaker, Claims · 62 wordsit is sad that until this Congress, this was a bipartisan issue. It wasn’t a Republican issue. It wasn’t a Democratic issue. Back when I served my State as attorney general in 2020, I wrote to the then-sponsors of this measure in this body and expressed my support for it, ³and it was a Republican from Virginia and a Democrat from Minnesota.⁴ Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 14 wordsI include both of these statements and letters in the Record at this point.⁵Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 81

3 of 3 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 “Some of my colleagues on both sides may be surprised that I just uttered those words,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “but those are not my words.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I include both of these statements and letters in the Record at this point.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 3 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.

Nothing lost points.

Reasoning · 87

0 of 3 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 1

Conclusion“it is sad that until this Congress, this was a bipartisan issue.”

Because“Those are the words of three of my former colleagues, three former State Democratic attorneys general, who strongly support the Keep Nine Amendment and disagree with my friends on the other side:”

“Back when I served my State as attorney general in 2020, I wrote to the then-sponsors of this measure in this body and expressed my support for it,”

“and it was a Republican from Virginia and a Democrat from Minnesota.”

Reason given

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 · 100

0 of 3 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.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 5

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“Chris Gorman from Kentucky, Steve Rosenthal,”search
2“Tony Troy from Virginia”search
3“when I served my State as attorney general in 2020”search
4“it was a Republican from Virginia and a Democrat from Minnesota”search
5“I include both of these statements and letters in the Record at this point”search

Analyzed on 2026-09-14