Justice Stephen Breyer (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
I think nine is fine. I’m not speaking about anybody’s proposal, but I’ve discovered that nine seems to work.
I think it would be fine to have long terms, say 18 years or something like that for a Supreme Court justice. It would make life easier. I wouldn’t have to worry about when I’m going to have to retire or not, and that would be easier for me.
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— Justice Stephen Breyer, commenting on some of the court-packing and term-limit proposals that have been raised by Democratic presidential candidates, during a speaking engagement earlier this week. Breyer went on to say that any term limits would need to be high enough to dissuade justices from job-hunting from the bench.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.