President Biden proposed sweeping changes to the Supreme Court on Monday, including an 18-year term limit for judges and a binding code of conduct.
The Supreme Court currently has six conservative and three liberal justices. Three justices, all conservative, have served for greater than 18 years: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas.
How an 18-year term limit would affect every sitting Supreme Court justice
Under Biden's plan, presidents would appoint a brand new Supreme Court justice every two years. opinion When the proposal was announced, it didn’t address how and when the terms of the present judges would end if his proposal were adopted.
If this rule had already been in place and term limits had allowed the president to appoint a justice every two years over the past 20 years, the court's ideological divide would have been reversed. Assuming every justice had served a full 18-year term, six justices would have been appointed by Democratic presidents and three by Republicans.
The court would have a liberal majority if term limits already existed
Mr. Biden also proposed a constitutional amendment to counter the court's ruling this month that gave presidents broad immunity from prosecution. His three proposals are unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. The overhaul would require congressional approval, which is unlikely in a Republican-controlled House and a divided Senate.
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