(The Hill) – A group of House Democrats introduced a bill on Tuesday to enact term limits for Supreme Court justices, arguing that the move will “restore legitimacy and independence to the nation’s highest court.”
The legislation, titled the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act, would authorize the president to nominate Supreme Court justices every two years — in the first and third years after a presidential election. The justices who have been on the court the longest will be moved to senior status first.
If confirmed by the Senate, those individuals would serve a maximum 18 years on the bench. After their tenures are complete, the Supreme Court justices would retire from active service and assume senior status.
Justices on the bench at the time of the bill’s enactment would switch to senior status one by one as justices are confirmed to the bench in the first and third years after a presidential election.
Under senior status, justices will still hold their office on the Supreme Court, which includes official duties and pay. If the number of justices dips below nine at some point — because of a vacancy, disability or disqualification — the justice who most recently attained senior status would serve as the ninth associate justice.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) introduced the bill along with Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) as co-sponsors.
In a statement Johnson said the bench “is increasingly facing a legitimacy crisis.”
“Five of the six conservative justices on the bench were appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote, and they are now racing to impose their out-of-touch agenda on the American people, who do not want it,” he said, referring to justices nominated by former Presidents Trump and George W. Bush.
“Term limits are a necessary step toward restoring balance to this radical, unrestrained majority on the court,” he added.
Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said implementing term limits for justices is “essential” amid “all the harmful and out-of-touch rulings from the Supreme Court this last year.”
“Otherwise, we will be left with backwards-looking majority for a generation or more,” he added in a statement.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced the same measure in the Senate.
Introduction of the bill comes more than a month after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that deemed the right to abortion constitutional.
The decision caused outrage among Democrats across the country and mobilized House lawmakers to pass a pair of bills safeguarding access to abortion.
Earlier this month, following the seismic Supreme Court ruling, a coalition of House Democrats — including Johnson — touted a bill to expand the bench, adding four seats to bring the total number of justices to 13.
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“A group of House Democrats introduced a bill on Tuesday to enact term limits for Supreme Court justices, arguing that the move will “restore legitimacy and independence to the nation’s highest court.””
How about introduced a bill to enact a 10 year term limits for Congress?
This move would “restore legitimacy and independence to Congress.
THEY WILL never limit themselves like that. THEY love their power too much.
Here’s an idea for congressional term limits: Senate, two (2) total terms consecutive or nonconsecutive; House, four (4) total terms consecutive or nonconsecutive! In this way a party couldn’t rotate the same people over and over again for the same office.
If the Dems want 18 year terms, let it start the day the law goes into effect meaning all presnt Justices will serve their 18 years counting from that day.
As i’ve long said, no one should be able to serve more than 20 years TOTAL In govt. Local, State, AND FEDERAL combined!
U S Constitution Section 1 – Judicial powers
The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior
The fools cannot change the tenure of Supreme COurt Justices without ammending the Constitution. They can write all the bills they want but the Supremes themselves can shoot them down every time, sans following the Constitutional ammendment process with the required number of states signing on.
THEY DON’T bloody care what the constitution says.. Never have.
Democratic Party Ethics: “If you can’t win by playing by the rules, change the rules.”
Right after Donald Trump won in 2016, the Dem’s were all shouting to dump the Electoral College (and make it retroactive). Now because of the Dobbs decision, they want to change the Court.
Bunch of sore losers and crybabies.
I don’t mind term limits for Justice’s… but the ones who REALLY need limits is Congress. 2 terms, 4 years each and retroactive.
I’d agree to term limits to judges, IF AND ONLY IF WE JHAD term limits on politicians..
AND AGE LIMITS too!
It will never happen, but Congress needs to set term limits for Congressional members. There are far too many who have way outlived their usefulness—if there ever was any usefulness in the first place.