Here’s something Democrats wouldn’t be doing if left-leaning justices dominated the Supreme Court. Democratic Rep. Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) introduced a bill that would impose term limits on the Supreme Court.
The lawmaker on Monday introduced the ROBE Act, which stands for the Reform of Bench Eligibility Act. It’s a proposed constitutional amendment that would set 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices instead of allowing them to serve lifetime terms.
This comes after criticism from the left about the Supreme Court’s ruling on Louisiana’s district maps.
“Faith in the Court depends on its legitimacy as a fair and independent institution,” the lawmaker said, according to a press release. He further argued that the court’s recent decisions “that have thrown out decades of legal precedent, combined with ethically dubious behavior by sitting judges, are testing that faith.”
I have something to say: term limits for SCOTUS. Let’s pass my ROBE Act to do exactly that. https://t.co/ELxjRdOX7o
— Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (@JohnnyOJr) May 5, 2026
He added, “Justices should not be hobnobbing at White House dinners and flying on the private jets of friends who have business before the Court.”
The ROBE Act would do three things: End lifetime appointments for current and future justices, create fixed 18-year terms, and establish an office to facilitate transitions for the justices already sitting on the bench.
This appears to be a response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais declaring Louisiana’s map with a second majority-black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
Faith in the Supreme Court depends on its independence.
— Rep. Johnny Olszewski (@RepJohnnyO) May 4, 2026
Overturning decades of legal precedent while justices hobnob at White House dinners and accept private jet travel from interested parties is testing that faith.
My ROBE Act will help restore fairness and trust. pic.twitter.com/IaHHK6EwXY
Democrats fear this ruling will push more red states to redraw maps before the midterms, which could give the GOP more seats in the House. CNN claimed the ruling kicked “yet another leg out from under the Voting Rights Act” and critics argue that it will make it harder for racial minorities to challenge district maps that lessen their political power.
Olszewski claims his objective is to decrease the political stakes involved in Supreme Court nominations and rebuild trust in the judiciary. But we know what he’s really after: shifting the balance of the court because it is currently dominated by right-leaning justices.
Democrats never propose such measures when left-leaning justices make up the court’s majority. It has nothing to do with fairness. It’s just another ploy to push a political agenda