Pelosi says there ‘certainly should be term limits’ for Supreme Court justices, leaves door open for expansion

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Supreme Court justices should have term limits, and left the door open for expansion of the nine-justice court.

Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” that there “certainly should be term limits” for the justices.

“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 said.

Pelosi’s comments come a year after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade and federal abortion protections, handing abortion regulation over to the states.

The nation’s highest court has come under scrutiny in the wake of the Dobbs decision, and recent reports about financial disclosures from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have raised questions about the court’s ethics standards as the justices weigh in on divisive national issues.

“If nothing else, there should be some ethical rules that would be followed,” Pelosi said.

The court’s approval rating dropped to a record low in recent Quinnipiac University polling that found just 30 percent of registered voters approved of the Supreme Court.

Pelosi said on MSNBC that it’s “shameful” how Thomas and Alito “have been so cavalier about their violations of what would be expected of a justice of the Supreme Court.” She added of the approval rating that “30 percent seems high.”

The former Speaker was less definitive about possible expansion of the court, but said it’s “a discussion.”

“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,” Pelosi said.