Northeast Corridor

TERM LIMITS FOR JUDGES

Jund Fund has a column in the WSJ that makes a persuasive case for an 18 year limit for Supreme Court justices.

A major reason for justices doggedly hanging on to their seats is, simply put, power. The Framers of the Constitution never envisioned a judiciary as powerful as today's courts. But with that unaccountable power has come an erosion of the court's legitimacy. Many people increasingly question if elderly justices with thought patterns set a half-century ago can fully comprehend court cases that encompass the globalization of the world economy or file-sharing on the Internet.

I actually think that 18 years is a bit too long as well. I would propose having 15 year limit for all Federal judges who could then get reappointed if the judge was getting a promotion i.e. getting appointed to a higher court. This would ensure more accountability in the entire judiciary as well as ensuring higher quality judges.

posted by Long Island Bob @ 11:02 AM