More than 50 left-of-center activist groups are backing legislation that would create term limits for Supreme Court justices.
The TERM Act was previously introduced by Rep. Hank Johnson, Georgia Democrat, and reintroduced in 2023 but has not seen any movement.
The legislation would create 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices and allow each president two appointments. Once a justice retires, he or she would take senior status and substitute in when the court falls below nine justices due to recusals.
“Extremists on the Supreme Court have undermined our democracy and fundamental freedoms by gutting voting rights, opening the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in our elections, and reversing 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade,” said Christina Harvey, executive director of Stand Up America, a progressive voting rights group.
“No one deserves power for life. That’s why 49 out of 50 states have either term limits, elections, or age limits for their highest courts. To protect our democracy and our fundamental freedoms, Congress should enact term limits for the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Though fellow Democratic lawmakers have joined in support of Mr. Johnson’s bill, it is unlikely to be taken up in a GOP-controlled House.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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