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Tuesday, March 26th, 2024

Breyer signals support for Supreme Court age, term limits

Author:     Shauneen Miranda
Source:     Axios
Publication Date:     Mar 24, 2024
Link: Breyer signals support for Supreme Court age, term limits
Stephan:  

I have never before seen or heard a former Supreme Court Justice speak out in this way, and I agree with retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. I think it should be taken as a response driven by the almost complete collapse of respect for the Court. Forty six percent of Americans disapprove of the way the Court is handling its job. If we ever get a working ethical Congress again, I would hope they would eliminate the Electoral College, limit the age and term of Supreme Court Justices as retired Associate Justice Breyer advocates, and create publicly funded elections. I don’t think we are going to save American democracy without these changes.

Stephen Breyer worries about Supreme Court’s public standing in current political era Credit: CNN

Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer signaled his support for age and term limits in the nation’s highest court, in a Sunday interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Why it matters: Breyer’s comments come as recent polling shows a majority of Americans support age limits in the court and the court has faced historically low approval ratings.

What he’s saying: “I don’t think that’s harmful,” Breyer told “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker, adding that court justices could serve “long terms.”

  • “Why long? Because I don’t think you want someone who’s appointed to the Supreme Court to be thinking about his next job,” Breyer said.
  • “And so, a 20-year term? I don’t know, 18? Long term? Fine. Fine,” he said.

Breyer said term limits would have helped him avoid “going through difficult decisions” in deciding when it was time to retire.

  • “You’ve been there for quite a while, and other people also should have a chance at these jobs. And at some point, you’re just not going to be able to do it,” he said.

Flashback: Breyer retired in June 2022 and was replaced by Ketanji Brown Jackson.

  • Breyer […]
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