In an MSNBC interview featuring Jen Psaki, Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic representative from California and a former Speaker of the House, expressed her support for implementing term limits on Supreme Court justices, despite Pelosi herself having held office for over 30 years and currently being 83 years old. Pelosi also highlighted her desire to initiate a “discussion” about expanding the Supreme Court, which appears to be a transparent attempt to counterbalance the three Supreme Court Justice picks made by former President Trump.
When questioned about her stance on term limits and court enlargement, Pelosi emphasized the significant time that has passed since the last court expansion, spanning over 150 years. While acknowledging that it should not be seen as a call to action, she suggested it as a subject open for debate. Pelosi mentioned that President Biden’s commission did not recommend court expansion, even though he previously campaigned on expanding the Supreme Court during the 2020 election.
“It’s been over 150 years since we’ve had an expansion of the court. It was in the time of Lincoln that it went up to nine. So the subject of whether that should happen is a discussion. It’s not, say, a rallying cry. But it’s a discussion. The president formed a commission, they did not recommend expansion of the court, that shouldn’t be the end of it.”
“But there certainly should be term limits. There certainly should be and if nothing else, there should be some ethical rules that would be followed. I had one justice tell me he thought the other justices were people of integrity, like a Clarence Thomas. I’m like, get out of here.”
Pelosi further contended that the implementation of term limits for Supreme Court justices is imperative and underscored the significance of establishing ethical standards for the justices to follow, which raises eyebrows considering recent accusations of ethics violations against her.
“I think they have the opportunity to write some ethics rules for themselves. And that’s what the Chief Justice has said. We can do it ourselves. I see no action being taken there. But nonetheless, that’s what they’ve said. But I give credit to Sen. Whitehouse with the majority in the Senate, he is able, in his committee, to point out what needs to be done, to have integrity. Integrity on the court.”
“It’s shameful how Justice Thomas and Justice Alito have been so cavalier about their violations of what would be expected of a justice of the Supreme Court. Here we have a body chosen for life, never have to run for office, nominated, confirmed, for life, with no accountability for their ethics behavior.”
Pelosi acknowledged the political significance of the abortion issue for Democrats in the upcoming 2022 midterms, recognizing the predictions of losses but minimizing them as a minor setback with just five lost seats. She attributed this outcome to the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and stressed the importance of preserving Roe, underscoring Congress’s authority to take action. However, it remains uncertain how long Democrats can rely on the issue of abortion, as it seems to be losing significance for many.
