In the U.S., a Supreme Court Justice is appointed for life, or for however long they choose to serve. A new bill would change that and introduce term limits for justices.
House Democrats passed a bill that would instate 18-year limits on justices and allow a president to appoint them in the first and third year of their presidency.
Why do Democrats want this? Because the Supreme Court justices that are currently serving were appointed by Republican presidents and therefore tend to vote for things Republicans want. Democrats have been considering expanding the court to more than nine justices in order to get a court that votes in a way that they consider more favorable but President Biden says he opposes this. Setting an expiration date on justices would be another way to make sure that the court changes with the party in favor.
This bill is not likely to pass the Senate. In fact, a similar one will be introduced by Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island.
