Friend,
The U.S. Supreme Court has become dangerously unbalanced – and the consequences have been devastating for our rights, freedoms, and democracy.
Unlike nearly every other democracy in the world, the United States allows Supreme Court justices to serve with no term or age limits. Some presidents appoint no justices at all, while others can appoint a third of the Court in a single term. That imbalance has fueled growing public distrust and eroded the legitimacy of our nation’s highest court.
We need a better system – and the TERM Act offers exactly that.
Sign the petition to support the TERM Act now! >>
The Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act, introduced by Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), would:
- Establish 18-year terms for Supreme Court justices, after which justices assume senior status.
- Require that a new justice be appointed every two years, in the first and third years following a presidential election.
- Ensure continuity by having senior justices fill in if the number of active justices drops below nine.
Add your name to support Supreme Court term limits. >>
The TERM Act maintains constitutional life tenure by allowing justices to retain their judicial office in a senior capacity – a system already used for lower federal courts and upheld by the Supreme Court itself. Senior justices would keep their judicial offices and salary, but they would have lighter and different duties (such as serving on circuit court panels or, as noted above, filling in on the Supreme Court when there are fewer than nine active justices). Under this reform, Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving current justice, would be the first to assume senior status once a new justice is appointed.
Rep. Johnson is expected to reintroduce the TERM Act in Congress next month – and now is the time to build momentum and show strong public support.
According to the Brennan Center, 7 in 10 voters – across the political spectrum – support Supreme Court term limits. And by a 25-point margin, voters say they’re more likely to support a congressional candidate who backs this reform. It’s one of the most popular and bipartisan ideas in the country – and it’s time Congress listened. [1]
Sign the petition and help restore balance to the Court. >>
Thanks for standing up for a fairer, more representative judiciary,
Zach VanHouten
People For the American Way
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Source:
[1] "The Constitutionality of Implementation by Statute" The Brennan Center for Justice, 6/20/23
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