Sherrilyn IfillMany commentators are tweeting & tooting that we need to expand the SCOTUS. That is not the answer to everything. Unless you just want a larger Court, not bound by ethics rules, engaging in the kind of behavior described in the NYT piece. What we need are guardrails - an understanding that the Court sits w/i our democracy. Our job us to strengthen it by creating the processes that promote impartiality & insulation from lobbying, not crossing our fingers & hoping for the best.
Mona Sigal MD@ifilljustice we need both. Not one OR a the other. As long as there are no term limits, we are stuck with a SCOTUS in which 3 judges aren’t even legitimate. Democrats need to expand SCOTUS, all judges must have term limits, and an enforceable code of ethics must be put in place.
GLW@mona @ifilljustice Eapecially important is code of ethics. Even a “nasty” president can EVENTUALLY be removed by vote…but a BAD Supreme Court Judge is virtually untouchable.
@ifilljustice @glweiss03 we have seen how “”effective” the removal of a blatantly criminal potus is. A judge can be impeached but it’s as tall an order as the impeachment of a potus. The problem is that judge appointments are political from beginning till end. We need a code of ethics and term limits. And expansion of the court. And with all of this we still cannot guarantee an impartial scotus if judgeships are being bought and paid for by dark money
Thrane@mona @ifilljustice @glweiss03 I'd be very weary of proposing term limits as a panacea for anything. Primary issue being that it decreases accountability (making radical decisions that you dont have to see through) and leads to a "revolving door" culture which has been shown to increase the strength of lobbyists.
Stronger accountability for those that do serve would be better. Let them keep their long tenures, but make it so that they can be more easily replaced.
Stronger accountability for those that do serve would be better. Let them keep their long tenures, but make it so that they can be more easily replaced.
monkeyes2@mona @ifilljustice I agree. We need both. Expansion of the court dilutes the power/influence of outside groups. It would make it harder to bribe ( wine and dine) enough of them to make a difference.
Kally@mona @ifilljustice Sing it.
Mxhrad@mona @ifilljustice Exactly, one term. No running for re-election.
Grinning Cat 
@mona @ifilljustice Yes, we need both an expanded, UNpacked court, and guardrails like ethics rules with teeth!
And actually, FIVE justices aren’t legitimate, in that G. W. Bush and Trump were both second-place, popular-vote-losing presidents.
(Yes, Bush won reelection by a majority of the popular vote, but would that have happened if he weren’t the incumbent?)
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While Democrats still have the House…
Congress should ALSO pass a law to STRIP SCOTUS’s APPELLATE JURISDICTION whenever a majority of justices were appointed by presidents who (ever) took office despite losing the popular vote.
That would restore some confidence in the Supreme Court reflecting the will of the people (as McConnell pretended to be concerned about).
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Hadan8088@mona @ifilljustice hear here here hear