Democratic Restraint on Court Packing

A center‑left argument that Democrats should refuse Supreme Court expansion even when politically advantageous, on the grounds that such a move would degrade institutional legitimacy and provoke irreversible escalation. The claim emphasizes strategic restraint—winning through other means rather than altering the Court’s structure. — If adopted, this posture would reshape Democratic strategy around judicial reform and alter the incentives that drive reciprocal institutional changes, with long-term effects on partisan escalation and judicial legitimacy.