Ginsburg: Having only 8 justices hamstrings Supreme Court

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Thursday that having only eight high court justices isn’t good, resulting in some 4-4 splits this year that denied litigants an opinion.

That that means no precedents are set and essentially a Supreme Court review has been denied, Ginsburg told a gathering of court officials in upstate New York.

One case this year was a First Amendment challenge to mandatory union fees by California teachers, she said. An appeal’s court ruling will remain in place until there are nine justices.

Another case the court didn’t decide concerned a challenge to mandatory contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act on the grounds that it violated religious freedom, Ginsburg said. The eight justices requested additional briefs then sent the case back to an appeals court.

“Eight is not a good number,” she said. “Next year I anticipate reporting on the decisions of a full bench.”

The court has had eight members since February, when Justice Antonin Scalia died, leaving a vacancy.

President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Merrick Garland to fill Scalia’s seat, but Republicans in Congress have vowed not to hold hearings or a confirmation vote until a new president takes office.

On Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts said building a consensus among the justices is important, although he admitted he can’t do it on his own.

The justices have struggled to reach decisions in several cases this term with the court split evenly between conservative and liberal members.