If the non-scaleable fences surrounding the marble courthouse are any indication, the Supreme Court is under heavy fire. Congressional Democrats have now entered the fray with a proposal to subvert the independence of the federal judiciary. They intend to do this by passing the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act, which was introduced in late July.
Their sneaky court-packing scheme endangers the separation of powers and individual liberty. It must be rejected.
Frustrated by a slew of conservative legal victories, Democrats introduced the TERM Act, which would establish 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, after which they would “assume senior status,” a quasi-retirement that drastically reduces their caseload and corresponding influence. To fill these vacancies, the president would appoint a new justice during the first and third years of his term. Cast as “an effort to restore legitimacy and independence to the nation’s highest court,” the TERM Act would ironically undermine both, transforming the court from an institution of law to a panel of politicians.
