Most Americans want to end lifetime appointments for Supreme Court justices, according to a new poll from Reuters.
The survey found that 63% of Americans support imposing term limits or age limits for Supreme Court justices.
Only 22% of those surveyed said they oppose any limits or reforms on lifetime appointments.
The poll also found that 38% would support a new Democratic plan to expand the court by four seats while 42% said they opposed the move or were unsure.
The poll found that only 49% of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in Supreme Court decisions, though that is still higher than confidence in decisions made by Congress and the White House.
Democrats want to add 4 seats:
The poll comes amid a renewed push by Democrats to expand the size of the Supreme Court after Republicans blocked Obama’s pick before installing three Trump appointees on the court.
“The court is broken,” Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, who sponsored the bill, said last week, arguing that the bill “will shore up the public’s confidence in the court and its legitimacy in the public’s eyes.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she had no plans to bring the bill for vote but said it’s “not out of the question.”
“I think it’s an idea that should be considered, and I think the president is taking the right approach to have a commission to study such a thing,” she said.
Republicans quickly panned the proposal.
“Just like the last time the Democrats tried this scheme, this is an attempt to intimidate the justices into making liberal rulings,” said Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
Biden launches commission:
President Joe Biden has pushed back on calls to expand the court but last week announced a 36-member commission that would study potential court reforms.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden would not discuss the issue until he reviews the report.
"He's going to wait for that to play out and wait to read that report," she said.
