Posted on 09/25/2020 8:11:23 PM PDT by raccoonradio
Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III has announced his intention to file legislation next week that would introduce term limits for all future U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
According to Congressman Kennedy's office, the bill would establish 18-year term limits on any Supreme Court Justices approved after its passage. After their 18-year terms, justices would then be allowed to continue their service on lower courts.
Kennedy's bill would then create a regular appointment process to allow every president to nominate a new justice to he Supreme Court during each odd year, guaranteeing each president the opportunity to nominate two justices per four-year term.
“Lifetime appointments to the highest court in our land undermine our democratic process and erode progress in our nation,” said Rep. Kennedy III. “In recent days, Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have once again exploited the Supreme Court in their anti-democratic power grabs. If we believe in the promise of this nation and our march toward a more perfect union, we must enact term limits on our Supreme Court justices.”
Introduced with Virginia Congressman Don Beyer and California Congressman Ro Khanna, this will be the first time the notion of Supreme Court term limits has been proposed as a bill, rather than a constitutional amendment. “For many Americans, the Supreme Court is a distant, secretive, unelected body that can make drastic changes in their lives without any accountability,” said Rep. Beyer. “The dramatic politicization of the Court in recent years has greatly undermined the conception of the Court as a group of dispassionate, apolitical jurists, and made the argument for lifetime tenure increasingly obsolete."
Rep. Kennedy's office said the bill is endorsed by Fix the Court, and will be introduced in the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday September 29.
Yeah, Trump will sign that no problemo.
We don’t need the quota, just the term limit.
>> a distant, secretive, unelected body that can make drastic changes in their lives without any accountability
Aren’t they supposed to interpret the laws, not make them?
congress is not a superior branch to the executive
they have no power to limit how and when a president appoints to the surpreme court
this clearly demonstrates they care nothing for the law and only want things in place to make things better for THEM and their plans
they care nothing if it makes government worse or cripples a particular branch of government if it works in their favor
How about Congressional term limits, Mr. Kennedy? Teddy would have been a great candidate.
Also, notice how Dems get religion when their power is being threatened.
“...a distant, secretive, unelected body that can make drastic changes in their lives without any accountability...”
...but...I thought that was what dems LIKED about the Supreme Court. What happened???
Teddy was first elected the year I was born, 1962. He left the Senate in 2009 when his body assumed room temperature.
"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate."
Joe, just because you keep losing doesn’t mean you get to change the rules.
But, what he is signaling is that by the time Trump is done, he will have replaced six or seven of the Justices.
Breyer is old, 82. SotoMayer is not well. Thomas wants to retire soon. Kennedy is 84.
If you ever felt that SCOTUS appointments were important...now is the time to vote. Trump could be appointing one a year for the next four years—easy.
Even if he did sign it you need a Constitutional Amendment.
Term limits on Congress first - not least of which because term limiting the Supreme Court requires a Constitutional amendment and limiting Congress does not.
Teddy was first elected the year I was born, 1962. He left the Senate in 2009 when his body assumed room temperature.
Wow. Words fail me. He missed sophomore high school US Government. A co-equal branch of government cannot be modified by statute— the US Constitution has to be amended.
Because why would a democrat care what the Constitution says.
“The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour,”
We really don’t want or need any more Kennedys in our lives.
That bill will disappear if Biden steals the election.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.