On Monday, President Joe Biden proposed a series of reforms for the Supreme Court. These proposals track those advocated by progressives over the last couple of years. They continue a misguided, partisan effort to undermine the constitutional structure and power of one branch of our national government.
Biden’s reforms would include an 18-year term limit for justices. This would create a regular shift on the court, with every president eventually allotted at least two new nominations. Yet we should not pursue such regularity at the cost of other, more important goods. We want justices on the bench who decide cases rightly. They do so by skillfully interpreting and applying the laws, whether constitutional or statutory, to the case before them. Together, right decision based on skillful interpretation and application comprise the essence of the judicial power.
