WASHINGTON, D.C. – A pair of US Senators introduced legislation that calls for term limits for Supreme Court Justices. Currently, Justices have life tenure on the bench. Some Senators argue term limits will help restore trust in the highest Court.
The legislation is sponsored by Senator Joe Manchin (I- WV) and Senator Peter Welch (D- VT). It proposes a constitutional amendment, which would make Justices have nonrenewable 18-year term limits. The President would appoint a new Justice every two years regardless of when a current Justice leaves the bench. If enacted, this would only apply to the new Justices, not the ones currently serving their terms now. Senator Manchin told us e’s all for term limits across the board, not just at the Court, but in the House and the Senate, too. He believes this is the type of change that would restore confidence in the Court, eliminate political gamemanship from the nomination process and reinforce judicial independence.
“I think as time changes you have someone there for 30, 20, 30, 40 years, times change,” said Sen. Manchin. “18 years is a nice term.”
We also asked some other Senators what they think of term limits for the Court. While most said they haven’t looked at the proposal itself, Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) said he doesn’t have a fixed view of it yet whether term limits should remain a lifetime or not, but he thinks term limits is something the Senate will have to wrestle with.
“The main thing that has to happen in the Supreme Court is a major ethics reform,” said Sen. Casey. “That has to happen and there has to be a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices just like every other judge has and it has to be enforceable.”
Senator Gary Peters (D- MI) said he hasn’t looked at the proposal yet but we asked him his thoughts on term limits for Justices in general:
“I don’t know,” said Sen. Peters. “I haven’t- I’ll have to give it more thought.”
Surveys show that public trust in the Court is at some of it’s lowest. There have been other recent efforts by members and outside groups to change up the Court by either adding more Justices or more congressional oversight for the Court.
