Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Jamie Raskin

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

396 words · 26 sentences · 32 clauses

Statement grade

B+

Average 80 / 100

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

Procedure 4%Positioning 3%Thanks 3%Claims 59%Reasoning 31%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 9 wordsI yield myself such time as I may consume.Procedure Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 4 wordsfinally, a serious argument.Positioning Thanks · 13 wordsI thank the distinguished gentleman, the former attorney general of Kansas, for responding.ThanksOff point Claims · 11 wordsFirst of all, he describes this as the Keep Nine Amendment.¹ Reasoning · 52 wordsIf you want to keep at nine, you don’t need a constitutional amendment. You just make that argument in Congress, just like people argued in prior centuries to keep it at ten or keep it at six or let’s move to seven, so we don’t need to freeze it into the Constitution. Claims · 10 wordsSecondly, he says that this should be a bipartisan issue. Reasoning · 18 wordsIt should not be partisan. Agreed. We should have a bipartisan commitment to the handiwork of the Framers. Claims · 43 wordsIt is in the Constitution that it is up to Congress.² Yet, the gentleman leaves us by saying: Well, we are actually going to turn it over to the people to decide whether to revoke this power that the Framers invested in Congress. Reasoning · 12 wordsOf course, that is what it would mean to amend the Constitution. Positioning · 7 wordsWhy would we want to do that?Positioning Claims · 64 wordsWe have dealt with this in a responsible way throughout American history. We are suspicious that our colleagues first gave away the war power to the President. Then they give away the spending power by letting him just abolish entire agencies and entities, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, USAID, ³and the Department of Education. Then they give the President the power over tariffs, Reasoning · 14 wordswhich we have because we have the power to regulate commerce domestically and internationally, Claims · 106 wordsand he imposed the largest tax in American history unilaterally.⁴ That is what a tariff is. It is not a tax on China or any other country. It is a tax on our businesses and our people. Now we are in a trade war with Canada.⁵ If you travel to the north of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, you go to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, you go to the Adirondacks in New York, the small businesses are crying out for help because Canadians are boycotting us because of the whimsical, irrational, ⁶and deranged trade policies of this administration.Off point We have real problems to deal with. Reasoning · 26 wordsWe don’t really need to be giving away the powers of Congress and upsetting the proper balance of powers that was set by the Framers originally. Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 7 wordsI reserve the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 89

5 of 19 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 yield myself such time as I may consume.”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 “finally, a serious argument.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I thank the distinguished gentleman, the former attorney general of Kansas, for responding.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Why would we want to do that?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. 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 reserve the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 52

14 of 19 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 “finally, a serious argument.”A jest aside rather than an argument about the 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 “I thank the distinguished gentleman, the former attorney general of Kansas, for responding.”A courtesy thanking the prior speaker, not a point on 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 “We are suspicious that our colleagues first gave away the war power to the President.”Shifts to an accusation about the war power, not 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 “Then they give away the spending power by letting him just abolish entire agencies and entities, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, USAID,”Discusses agency abolitions and spending power, unconnected to 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 “and the Department of Education.”Continues the list of abolished agencies, off the 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 “Then they give the President the power over tariffs,”Turns to tariff power, a different subject from 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 “which we have because we have the power to regulate commerce domestically and internationally,”Argues about the commerce power, not the Court’s composition.
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 he imposed the largest tax in American history unilaterally.”A claim about tariffs as taxation, unrelated to the 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 “That is what a tariff is.”Defines what a tariff is, off 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 “It is not a tax on China or any other country.”Continues the tariff explanation, not answering the amendment question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “It is a tax on our businesses and our people.”Still on tariffs and who bears their cost, off 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 “Now we are in a trade war with Canada.”Moves to a trade war with Canada, a different topic.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “If you travel to the north of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, you go to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, you go to the Adirondacks in New York, the small businesses are crying out for help because Canadians are boycotting us because of the whimsical, irrational,”Anecdote about border businesses hurt by the trade war, not the 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 deranged trade policies of this administration.”Partisan criticism of the administration’s trade policies in place of addressing 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 · 100

0 of 19 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 · 6

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“the Keep Nine Amendment”search
2“It is in the Constitution that it is up to Congress”search
3“Then they give away the spending power by letting him just abolish entire agencies and entities, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, USAID, ”search
4“he imposed the largest tax in American history unilaterally”search
5“we are in a trade war with Canada”search
6“Canadians are boycotting us”search

Analyzed on 2026-09-14