We all know the concept of house rules, many of us that have played cards of board games know of this concept. Some of us collect money when we land on Free Parking when playing Monopoly for example.
One thing about house rules that we all have to remember is that once the game has begun you can’t suddenly change the rules. That’s what Nancy Pelosi is doing.
House Democrats are expected to introduce a bill on Tuesday that would limit a Supreme Court Justice’s term to 18 years, cutting short the historically-understood Constitutional interpretation of a lifetime appointment.
The Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act is sponsored by California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna, and co-sponsored by Rep Joe Kennedy III (Mass.) and Rep Don Beyer (VA).
“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 Rep Khanna of the legislation. “Every president should have an equal chance to appoint justices. Our entire democratic system shouldn’t hinge on the shoulders of individual Supreme Court justices.”
Article III of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress power in the regulation of federal courts, but proclaims that “Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior…” This has historically been interpreted to mean that Supreme Court Justices have lifetime tenure.
The bill would limit a Supreme Court Justice’s term to 18 years, and after that term, would allow the Justice to continue to serve on lower courts (in theory, abiding by Article III’s “shall hold their Offices during good Behavior” standard).
Additionally, each president would be limited to two appointments in a 4-year term.
President Trump has appointed two Supreme Court Justices since his 2016 election – Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. His expected appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to be replace Justice Ginsburg would be his third appointment (to be officially announced later today).
