The call for Supreme Court reform has been reignited by Georgia Democrat Rep.
Hank Johnson, who argues that the introduction of term limits for justices could help to eradicate what he perceives as "long-term rot and decay" currently plaguing the high court.
Johnson, a vocal advocate for reform, believes that the court has been compromised by corporate corruption, and that term limits could provide a solution.
According to Fox News, Johnson stated in a recent interview, "Term limits is a way of creating a process that eliminates the possibility of long-term rot and decay due to corporate corruption on the court that we have now with no means of being able to correct it other than impeachment and conviction of a justice." He further argued that the impeachment and conviction of a justice is an unlikely scenario, particularly in the case of a justice who is "doing the bidding of the right-wing forces that put them there in the very beginning."
Johnson, a ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, has previously collaborated with Democrats in both the House and Senate to propose court reform bills. These bills aim to expand the court and impose term limits on the justices. Johnson's Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act (TERM), introduced during Congress' most recent session, proposes an 18-year term limit for justices.
In 2023, Johnson, alongside Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as Democrat Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Miss., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., reintroduced the Judiciary Act of 2023. This act seeks to expand the Supreme Court to a 13-justice bench, a move that would disrupt the current conservative supermajority in the nine-justice court.
Johnson stated, "We want to prevent this kind of rot and decay from ever overtaking a Supreme Court again," adding that term limits could facilitate this. He criticized the lifetime tenure of justices, suggesting it makes them "unaccountable, and they can do whatever they want," and likened the bench to "a club of kings and queens who can do whatever they want to do simply because they serve in a third co-equal branch of government."
President Biden has previously expressed support for such reform, proposing three specific reforms, including the approval of term limits by Congress. Vice President Harris has also voiced support for these reforms, citing a "clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court."
While Johnson has not yet had direct discussions with Harris about implementing these reforms, he stated that she is "aware of the challenge that we face," and is supportive of his legislation. He expressed his anticipation for future conversations with "hopefully, President-elect and future President Kamala Harris and her team."
Despite the support, Johnson acknowledges that the path to reform will be challenging, with potential roadblocks such as a Senate filibuster. However, he remains committed, stating, "We're in it for the long haul, and however long it takes, this legislation will be there for consideration." This determination underscores the ongoing debate surrounding Supreme Court reform and the potential implications for the balance of power within the judiciary.
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