Democrats in the House of Representatives will introduce a bill next week to limit the tenure of U.S. Supreme Court justices, from lifetime appointments -which is outlined in the Constitution – to just an 18-year single term.
The bill is being prepped on the heels of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s September 18 death, leaving a vacancy open for President Donald Trump to fill, and the Republican-controlled Senate to confirm.
Reuters reported on the forthcoming bill, Thursday:
The new bill, seen by Reuters, would allow every president to nominate two justices per four-year term and comes amid heightened political tensions as Republican President Donald Trump prepares to announce his third pick for the Supreme Court after the death on Sept. 18 of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with just 40 days to go until the Nov. 3 election.
According to Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (CA), the bill – the “Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act” – is intended to tamp down partisanship.
“It would save the country a lot of agony and help lower the temperature over fights for the court that go to the fault lines of cultural issues and is one of the primary things tearing at our social fabric,” said Khanna.
The California Democrat plans to introduce the bill on Tuesday, alongside Democratic Representatives Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts and Don Beyer of Virginia, Reuters said. Read more…
