Representatives Adam Schiff and Hank Johnson have introduced legislation that would allow Supreme Court justices to retain their lifetime appointments but limit them to 18 years on the Supreme Court.
The legislation titled TERM Act would:
- Establishing 18-year terms of regular active duty for Supreme Court justices, after which justices who retain office will assume senior status;
- Ensure regular appointments of Supreme Court judges in the first and third years after presidential elections as the sole means for Supreme Court appointments;
- Require current judges to assume senior status, in order of length of service on the Court, as regularly appointed judges receive their commission;
- Maintaining their lifetime tenure by ensuring that senior judges retired from regular active duty continue to hold the office of Supreme Court judge, including official duties and compensation; And
- Require a randomly selected high-status Supreme Court justice to fill the Court if the number of justices on regular active duty falls below nine.
Rep. Schiff said, “Implementing term limits for Supreme Court justices is a critical step toward restoring the nation’s faith in our justice system and protecting Americans’ fundamental rights and freedoms. Term limits will ensure that an entire generation of Americans will not suffer further loss of their freedoms under a reactionary and partisan Supreme Court, and that no future Senate leader can stack the Court the way McConnell did.”
Although the legislation has no chance of being passed by the current Republican House majority, the TERM Act will be a top priority for Democrats if they win back the House of Representatives next year.
Representative Johnson said: Our system is broken and Congress must take action if we want to save liberty, freedom and democracy for all. This year I introduced several judicial reforms – including the Judiciary Act to expand the Court and the Supreme Court’s Ethics Recusal and Transparency Act – and today I am proud to introduce another crucial part of the Court’s reform package : establishing term limits on the Supreme Court. and the Retirement Modernization Act of 2023, also known as the TERM Act.”
The conservative majority on the Supreme Court has engaged in behavior ranging from unethical to corrupt, and if Democrats regain full control of the federal government, Supreme Court reform, along with voting rights legislation, should be at the top of their agenda. -do list.