Derailing the Supreme Court
One of the multitude of issues facing us as we head into November is the Supreme Court. The Court is currently a disaster, filled with alt-right Justices who appear to think being on the highest Court in the land gives them permission to legislate from the bench.
There is not much we can do about the Court right now. But all that changes — if we win. If we win, the possibilities are endless. And there are a plethora of ideas about how to create a better, more honorable Supreme Court.
One way to do that is by expanding the Court. This is an idea that is very appealing to many of us, and I include myself in that. After all, there is no reason NOT to expand it. We’ve done so in the past, though not for a long time. But there are other things we can do as well. And based on a new poll out, the American people are extremely enthusiastic about one idea. Term Limits.
A jaw-dropping 60% of people approve of term lines for the Supreme Court. Right now, the Court members have lifetime tenure. Now I don’t know about you, but that makes me a bit uneasy. The Justices know they can get away with virtually anything with lifetime tenure. And it makes the process of choosing a Justice nakedly partisan.
But what about if Justices had 18-year terms “with a vacancy automatically occurring every two years in non-election years?”
I can see why people could get behind this idea. And it makes sense. Most countries do have set terms for their Judges — not lifetime appointments. We’re in the minority on that one.
So it is something to mull over. The advantages of going this route are that it might be easier than adding Justices. It is also a method that seems to be resonating with the American people strongly.
Of course, if we don’t win, we can’t do anything. So it’s important that we do. But keep the Court in the back of your mind. Because if — no WHEN — we win, this will be an issue I am sure that we will all be taking a good long look at together.
