Will Supreme Court Term Limits Become A Reality?

Proposed legislation would create an 18-year term limit for justices appointed after the law was enacted.

Condemning the right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court as corrupt and “heavily politicized,” U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna and Don Beyer on Friday reintroduced legislation to impose term limits for the nine justices in order to “restore judicial independence.”

Hours after the court ruled that businesses can refuse services to LGBTQ+ people and struck down President Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief program, Khanna (D-Calif.) said that the framers of the Constitution established lifetime appointments for justices on the nation’s highest court in order “to ensure impartiality,” but recent rulings by the six right-wing members of the panel’s supermajority have not held up that standard.

Facade of US Supreme court in Washington DC on sunny day

“The Supreme Court’s decision to block student debt relief will put many hardworking Americans at risk of default and will be a disaster for our economy,” said Rep. Ro Khanna. “Our Founding Fathers intended for lifetime appointments to ensure impartiality. The decision today demonstrates how justices have become partisan and out of step with the American public. I’m proud to reintroduce the Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act to implement term limits to rebalance the court and stop extreme partisanship.”