(TheIndependentStar.com) – In a bombshell declaration that has made the GOP furious, Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris has declared her support for imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices, a move that could lead to the forced retirement of conservative Justice Clarence Thomas in 2025.
Harris revealed her policy proposals just two days before the first presidential debate against Republican Donald Trump, emphasizing her intention to introduce term limits to restore public trust in the Supreme Court, The Washington Examiner reports, cited by Newsmax.
Although Harris has not detailed the specific duration of these proposed terms in her policy outline titled “A New Way Forward,” she aligns closely with a Senate bill proposed in 2023 by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), which suggests 18-year terms for Supreme Court justices.
Last month, Whitehouse commented on the alignment between Harris’s policy ideas and his legislation, stating, “They have not gone so far as to say, ‘We endorse your bill.’ They have said that your bills are precisely aligned with what we are talking about,” during an interview with Dispatch Politics on the last day of the Democratic National Convention.
The passage of Whitehouse’s bill, however, hinges on the Democrats winning the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives in November—an outcome considered unlikely given the current Senate projections that favor Republicans with a slight majority.
Moreover, critics argue that the bill would face significant constitutional challenges, specifically under Article 3, which mandates that judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behavior.”
Despite these challenges, Whitehouse’s Senate Bill 3096 stipulates a rotation where new justices would be appointed every two years.
Under this plan, if Harris secures a second presidential term, conservative justices such as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito could also be phased out after surpassing the 18-year mark, in 2027 and 2029 respectively.
On her policy page, Harris sharply criticizes Donald Trump, accusing him of jeopardizing fundamental rights by appointing Supreme Court justices responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade, thereby enabling restrictive abortion laws across several states.
“Donald Trump is a threat to our fundamental rights and freedoms. He brags that he is ‘proudly’ responsible for handpicking Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe, unleashing Trump Abortion Bans in states across the country, putting women’s lives at risk and threatening doctors and other health providers with jail time,” Harris writes.
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