We hear a lot of chatter about term limits for the Supreme Court these days. The motive is to make the Court more representative or politically accountable. This is dangerous. Democratic representation is ideal for political offices, but SCOTUS was not meant to be political. It was DESIGNED to be shielded from the caprice of voters and external incentives. We get angry when interests give high-paying jobs to former legislators – why would we introduce that corruption to the judiciary?

SCOTUS is a mechanism for protecting the Rule of Law. In turn, the Rule of Law protects us from arbitrary impulse of the executive, the legislature, and the malicious majority. We do not want Justices thinking about what effect a decision will have on party politics, public relations, or their career. We want them thinking about honest application of the law.

Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.

President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft