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Booker Wants to Explore Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices, Thinks GOP Stole a Seat

March 18, 2019

Sen. Cory Booker (D., NJ) told MSNBC's Chris Matthews he wants to explore term limits for Supreme Court justices and suggested the Republican Party stole a seat on the court.

"Eric Holder, the former AG, is talking about expanding the number of people on the United States Supreme Court beyond nine to get more progressives on there. Where are you on that?" Matthews asked.

"I think we need to fix the Supreme Court. I think they stole a Supreme Court seat," Booker responded.

"Should we keep it at nine?" Matthews asked.

"I think I would like to start exploring a lot of options and we should have a national conversation," Booker said. "Term limits for Supreme Court justices might be one thing, to give every president the ability to choose three, with people holding on to those seats in ways that I don't think is necessarily healthy."

"Age limit?" Matthews pressed.

"Look, I think we -- term limits might be a better way of saying that," Booker said.

Former attorney general Eric Holder said earlier this month that the next Democratic president should consider adding seats to the Supreme Court if the party holds a majority in the Senate.

Democratic candidates Robert Francis 'Beto' O'Rourke and Pete Buttigieg have expressed sympathy for court-packing proposals. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., NY) called it an "interesting idea."

Progressive activists have created a group called "Pack the Courts" urging 2020 Democratic candidates to commit to expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

Booker was a vocal participant in the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, daring the Senate to charge him for violating Senate rules for releasing an email Brett Kavanaugh sent when he was a lawyer in the George W. Bush White House. Booker insisted he was violating Senate rules and compared himself to Spartacus.