Endorsement - People Power United endorsed the BATL Act

🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.

May 9, 2024

People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups to endorse the BATL Act. Shout out to Stand Up America for leading these efforts.

The BATL Act (S.3096), sponsored by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), would restore balance to our nation’s highest court by establishing 18-year term limits for current and future Supreme Court justices. Every two years, a new justice would take the bench and spend 18 years participating in all cases, after which they would only hear original jurisdiction cases.

Here is a link to view the Bill Text and one pager provided by Stand Up America:

Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits (BATL) Act

The BATL Act (S.3096), sponsored by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), would restore balance to our nation’s highest court by establishing 18-year term limits for current and future Supreme Court justices. Every two years, a new justice would take the bench and spend 18 years participating in all cases, after which they would only hear original jurisdiction cases. The BATL Act would:

• Establish terms of 18 years during which the 9 most recently-appointed Supreme Court justices participate in the Court’s full docket of cases.

• Establish regular appointments of Supreme Court justices in the first and third years after a presidential election.

• Allow all justices to hear cases in the Court’s “original jurisdiction” – a narrow category of disputes between states or foreign officials.

• Allow only the 9 most recently appointed justices to hear appellate cases (cases decided by lower courts and appealed to the Supreme Court). The vast majority of cases heard by the Supreme Court are appellate cases, and the Constitution allows Congress to regulate and make exceptions to the Court’s “appellate jurisdiction.”

• Preserve life tenure by ensuring that justices who do not choose to retire after 18 years can still hear original jurisdiction cases and exercise other powers of the office.

America is alone among modern constitutional democracies in allowing high-court justices to serve without term or age limits, resulting in some presidents appointing no justices and others appointing up to a third of the Court. 49 of 50 American states impose term limits, elections, or mandatory retirement ages on high court judges. Regularized appointments every two years will ensure that the Court is more representative of our nation. 

7 out of 10 voters favor Supreme Court term limits. 3 in 4 voters say Supreme Court appointments will be an important voting consideration for them in 2024. By a 25-point margin voters say they are more likely (45%) rather than less likely (20%) to vote for a congressional candidate who supports Supreme Court term limits.

Cosponsors include Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Hirono, Merkley, Padilla, Schatz, and Welch.

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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people. We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change and work to make it happen. Whether it's supporting a candidate, fighting to pass legislation, or working to change our culture, our members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future.