Term limiting federal judges a bad idea
I agree with most of what Jim Hill stated in his letter to the editor entitled, “Incumbent’s oath of office and the Constitution” (Sept. 28). I strongly disagree with his last statement advising term limits for Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court is already tainted with the political will of the Senate during the confirmation process. Once on the bench, they are free of politics and can decide cases according to their beliefs (and, hopefully, the Constitution). Subjecting them to term limits will only increase the political influence brought against the Supreme Court.
The bigger issue is the process — the politics of confirmation. This process is tearing our nation apart. Elections have consequences. We have heard that said a lot lately. But it rings true. The presiding president, whether conservative or liberal, has the right to nominate. That right was passed to him by a vote of the people. In the past, the Senate limited its scope to whether or not the nominee was sufficiently qualified for the job (advise and consent). Now, it has become another battleground between the liberals and the conservatives. The current nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, is just an unfortunate pawn in this political power play.
Make no mistake, this is not about the person nominated. It is about the clash of ideals. This nomination is for the position that will tip the scale on the Supreme Court to a more conservative or liberal interpretation of constitutional law. The Republicans want to put in a conservative justice now while they can. The Democrats want to delay it and hold the position open until 2020 so they can fill the position with someone who will have a more liberal interpretation.
Political arguments are being made for both positions and those arguments are tearing our nation apart. I do not wish our country to go through this process any more than it has to. Lifetime appointments, which also occur for federal district and circuit court judges, minimize this damage to our nation and are the best means to depoliticize the federal judicial system.