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73% Support Supreme Court Term Limits, Brennan Center Finds

By Drooid · Oct 1, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Polls Show Term Limits

Polls show 73% of respondents and 78% of voters support Supreme Court term limits.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the Constitution’s clear language supports congressional authority over the Court.
The Court currently sits with a 6-3 conservative supermajority that has overturned voting, reproductive and LGBT protections.
The Brennan Center for Justice report found 73% public backing for imposing term limits on SCOTUS justices.

Summary

Supreme Court Nullifies

The Supreme Court this term nullified the last major provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Authors argue the right-wing legal movement traded a potential abortion ruling to secure the Voting Rights Act defeat.
Bowie and Renan say the Left misread the conservative bloc’s priority of voting-rights rollback over abortion.
The 2026 book “Law Supremacy” (W. W. Norton) challenges the idea that judicial review supersedes democracy.

History

Historical Context

Early-1990s reformers revived a push for Supreme Court term limits, proposing staggered 18-year terms that would create a new appointment every two years. Northwestern scholars Steven G. Calabresi and James Lindgren noted justices served an average 26.1 years from 1971-2006, while Duke professor Paul Carrington argued a constitutional amendment was unnecessary. Chief Justice John Roberts had voiced support for limits before his 2005 appointment.

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Polls Show Term Limits

Polls show 73% of respondents and 78% of voters support Supreme Court term limits.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the Constitution’s clear language supports congressional authority over the Court.
The Court currently sits with a 6-3 conservative supermajority that has overturned voting, reproductive and LGBT protections.
The Brennan Center for Justice report found 73% public backing for imposing term limits on SCOTUS justices.

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