US Supreme Court needs term limits

People gathering at the US Supreme Court steps to protest against Mr Brett Kavanaugh's appointment in Washington last Saturday. The writer says the biggest problem with life tenure for Supreme Court justices is that it makes a seat on the Bench far t
People gathering at the US Supreme Court steps to protest against Mr Brett Kavanaugh's appointment in Washington last Saturday. The writer says the biggest problem with life tenure for Supreme Court justices is that it makes a seat on the Bench far too valuable, causing political parties to invest considerable capital in securing seats for their own side, or denying them to the other. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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Suddenly everybody wants to explore term limits for Supreme Court justices. Welcome aboard. I've been on that train for almost a quarter of a century.

The current argument is that life tenure is a leading cause of the increasing viciousness of the United States' confirmation battles.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 08, 2018, with the headline US Supreme Court needs term limits. Subscribe