Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson, a strong supporter of Supreme Court reform, says term limits for justices are a way to eliminate “the potential for long-term rot and decay” that he says is now present in the Supreme Court.
“Term limits are a way to create a process that eliminates the possibility of long-term deterioration and decay due to corporate corruption in the court that we now have no means of correcting other than the impeachment and conviction of a judge, ” Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview on Thursday.
“And if Donald Trump can’t be impeached and convicted, you certainly can’t remove a corrupt Supreme Court justice from office when he or she is doing the bidding of the right-wing forces that put him or her there in the first place. principle.”
Johnson, a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, previously partnered with Democrats in both the House and Senate to propose judicial reform bills in an effort to expand the court and impose term limits. of the magistrates. During the most recent session of Congress, Johnson introduced the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act that would impose 18-year term limits on justices.
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Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson says term limits on Supreme Court justices are a way to eliminate “the possibility of long-term rot and decay.” (DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In May 2023, Johnson joined Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Miss., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., by reintroducing the Judiciary Act of 2023 that would expand the Supreme Court to a bench of 13 judges. The nine-judge court currently has a conservative supermajority.
“We want to prevent this kind of rot and decay from creeping into a Supreme Court again,” Johnson said. “And term limits would allow that to happen.”
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Johnson went on to say that life-tenure judges become “unresignable and can do whatever they want,” calling the court “a club of kings and queens who can do whatever they want simply because they serve in a third, equal branch of the court.” government.”
President Biden issued a statement in late July outlining three specific Supreme Court reforms, one of which called for Congress to pass term limits. Vice President Harris said in a statement that reforms were proposed because “there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court.” (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Biden previously expressed support for such reform, issuing a statement in late July outlining three specific reforms, one of which called for Congress to pass term limits. Vice President Harris echoed Biden’s sentiments, saying in a statement that reforms were being proposed because “there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court.”
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Johnson said he has not yet had direct conversations with Harris about implementing such reforms in anticipation of the vice president possibly winning the Oval Office in November, but said she is “aware of the challenge we face.”
“She supports efforts like my legislation,” Johnson said. “So I look forward to having future conversations with, hopefully, President-elect and future President Kamala Harris and her team.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Johnson argued that judges with life tenure become “unaccountable and can do whatever they want.” (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Johnson acknowledged that proposals to reform the court would face an uphill battle toward enactment, and the congressman anticipated that the Senate would block the measures with a filibuster.
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“We’re in this for the long haul, and as much as it’s necessary, this legislation will be there for consideration,” he said.
