Breyer says term limits would ‘make life easier for me’

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on Sunday said the implementation of term limits for justices on the bench would “make life easier for me” as Democratic lawmakers are increasingly pushing the 83-year-old justice to step down and allow President Biden to install a liberal replacement.

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Breyer expressed an openness to term limits but warned that any should be set for “a very long term.”

“I think you could do that. It should be a very long term because you don’t want the judge who’s holding that term to start thinking about his next job,” Breyer said.

“But it would make life easier for me,” he added, cracking a smile.

The justice addressed the calls from a number of Democratic lawmakers for him to retire from the bench, contending that individuals are “entitled to their opinion.”

The justice has not signaled plans to step down from the court anytime soon, but he has said that he does not believe he will remain on the bench until he dies.

Breyer during the interview also addressed the possibility of adding justices to the court, warning that making changes to the bench could ultimately chip away at the public’s trust in the institution.

“Well, if one party could do it, I guess another party could do it. … It seems to me, you start changing all these things around and people will lose trust in the court,” he said.

Breyer sounded a similar note in an interview with NPR published on Friday when asked about remaking the Supreme Court, contending that “what goes around comes around.”

“If the Democrats can do it, the Republicans can do it,” he added.