Ginsburg turns 85 this year! Shes been a justice for almost 30 years. Isnt it time to let someone else hold judicial power? A Republic does best when more peoples voices are represented in power. Same goes for Kennedy, Thomas, Breyer, who have all had over 8000 days. And I dont care if its during a Democrat or Republicans term. Its time to shake it up. 20 years and done, let more people be Justices.
The problem with term limits, for presidential appointees, like supreme court justices, is the risk that the Justices who are installed will be based on short term and hardline political loyalty, and not on what is best for the country.
The potential negative affect can be seen via recent liberal judges who voted against Trump's immigration policies. The president has the Constitutional right to restrict immigration for national security reasons. Instead we had an appointed political hack judge, rule to ignore the Constitution in favor of left wing politics. DACA was not a real law created by Congress. It was an executive action, created by Obama. A political hack judge prevented the president from overriding an executive action, which is allowed by the Constitution. The result of term limit appointment would be lawlessness used to throw sand in the gears of the Constitution, ay least from the left, who hates the Constitution.
Picture the supreme court, composed of short duration political hack judges, who are put there to rule in ways that undermine the Constitution. The Democrats have already used lower judges to undermine the Constitution. They would also use the Supreme Court as a political tool. The Republicans may feel the need to do the same thing. For example, there is no reason, besides honor, that prevents a middle levelConservative judge, appointed by the Republicans, to get rid of abortion, or at least freeze it for months or years. Judges are lawyers and lawyers defend criminals as well as victims. It is not hard for a paid judge to defend a bad policy; make Jack the Ripper look like a alter boy. The result will be an unstable pendulum between build and destroy with the executive branch and an appointed Supreme court in charge.
Say Obama had been able to appoint all left wing justices to the supreme court for a 6 year term limit. He could have made their appointment contingent on ruling that a president can run for a third term. He could make impeachment no longer possible. Obama could then use the judges to tie up the election process, for appeal, through the election season, so there is no clear result and Obama gets to stay.
In the current system, lingering justices from other opposing administrations, who are there for life, would make the scam harder,since these justices are not beholden and are not afraid to be fired. They are also not afraid to loose their golden parachute or their backing in the next appointment cycle.
