, Democrats may be poised to push forward with their court-focused plans after winning control of the House and Senate in theDemocrats are expected to
in the Senate and at least , giving them the opportunity to take up legislation that stood no chance of advancing in the GOP-led Congress.
uncertain
that → poise → Congress
While Democrats have not yet unveiled their legislative priorities for the next Congress, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to be elected speaker in January, has indicated he has the Supreme Court on his mind.
asserted
he → unveil → mind
"We must root out corrupt price gouging, clean up the mess at the Supreme Court and ban Members of Congress from trading stocks," he wrote in a letter to his Democratic colleagues formally announcing his bid for the speaker's gavel.
asserted
he → root → gavel
"Accountability begins at home."
asserted
Accountability → begin → home
Jeffries told NBC's "Meet the Press" in August that "dramatic" reform to the Supreme Court is needed, and said Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who will likely helm the House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, would take the lead.
asserted
who → tell → lead
A spokesperson for Raskin did not immediately return a request for comment.
asserted
spokesperson → return → comment
Over the years, Democrats have proposed a variety of measures aimed at reshaping the Supreme Court — from implementing term limits for the justices to laying out new ethics rules to adding seats.
asserted
Democrats → propose → seats
During the first two years of the Biden administration, when Democrats last controlled Congress, the House approved legislation that would have imposed ethics requirements on Supreme Court justices.
asserted
that → control → justices
But the measure stalled in the Senate.
asserted
measure → stall → Senate
Then-President Joe Biden established a commission tasked with studying proposals to reform the high court, but the panel
and instead laid out the arguments in support of and against potential changes.
asserted
panel → establish → changes
But calls for Supreme Court reforms have grown louder since Democrats were last in charge, particularly as the court's conservative majority has
longstanding and .With Democrats now holding a majority in the House, members could push through legislation imposing changes on the high court.
uncertain
members → grow → court
Still, it's unlikely those plans would clear the Senate, where most legislation requires 60 votes to advance.
asserted
legislation → clear → votes
Democrats will control between 54 and 56 seats.
asserted
Democrats → control → seats
And even if court-reform measures did win approval from both chambers of Congress, it's unclear whether Mr. Trump would sign them into law.
uncertain
Trump → win → law
Here are some of the proposals that Democrats could take up in the next Congress:
uncertain
Democrats → take → Congress
Legislative efforts aimed at requiring the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct gained momentum in 2023, after ProPublica published a series of articles about
with a wealthy Republican donor that were omitted from his financial disclosures.
asserted
that → aim → disclosures
On the heels of the revelations, the Senate Judiciary Committee
that would require the Supreme Court to adopt an ethics code and implement procedures to handle complaints of misconduct.
asserted
that → require → misconduct
But the proposal from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, died before the full Senate.
asserted
proposal → die → Senate
Whitehouse reintroduced the proposal in May 2025.
uncertain
Whitehouse → reintroduce → May
Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, introduced companion legislation in the House.
asserted
Johnson → introduce → House
Whitehouse and Johnson's legislation would also require the Supreme Court to establish rules for the disclosure of gifts, income or reimbursements, including a requirement that parties to a case or people filing friend-of-the-court briefs must disclose any gifts to the justices.
asserted
parties → require → justices
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Daniel Goldman of New York also introduced plans that would require the Supreme Court to establish an internal Office of Ethics Counsel and Office of Investigative Counsel.
asserted
that → introduce → Counsel
The investigative counsel would review and investigate ethics complaints against the justices.
asserted
counsel → review → justices
A measure from Maryland's Raskin and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York would prohibit federal judges and Supreme Court justices from receiving gifts valued at more than $50.
asserted
measure → prohibit → 50
The Supreme Court did
in place in November 2023, but its lack of an enforcement mechanism led to calls for Congress to step in.
asserted
Congress → do → calls
Beyond the Supreme Court, a Democratic-led Congress could also investigate claims of misconduct by federal judges on the lower courts that have recently become public, said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, which advocates for reforms to the Supreme Court and lower courts.
uncertain
which → lead → Court
Some federal judges have been accused of mistreating their clerks.
asserted
judges → accuse → clerks
Others have been investigated for alleged misconduct.
asserted
Others → investigate → misconduct
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Georgia received a private reprimand after an investigation found she had sex with a police officer in her chambers.
asserted
she → receive → chambers
GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia has filed articles of impeachment against her.
asserted
Clyde → file → her
U.S. District Judge Ada Brown in Texas is facing judicial conduct proceedings after she was accused of making racial insults toward a lawyer, judges and court staff, and recusing from dozens of cases without explanation or for "unusual" reasons.
asserted
she → face → reasons
"There's 2,400 federal judges, so there's going to be a few bad apples, but if we're going to talk about cleaning up the government, we can't leave out the third branch," Roth said.
asserted
Roth → be → branch
Congressional Democrats could also enact legislation expanding workplace discrimination and harassment laws to cover the judiciary, an idea that has gotten bipartisan support before, and ban Supreme Court justices and judges from trading stocks and using prediction markets, Roth said.
"The larger issue is really in the lower courts and resetting the rules of the road and making it clear that while there may have been a focus on the Supreme Court over the last three years, the lower courts really shouldn't be immune from this anticorruption push," he said.
uncertain
he → enact → push
Term limits
Article III of the Constitution states that Supreme Court justices and lower court judges hold their seats "during good behavior," which has been interpreted to mean that judges have life tenure.
asserted
judges → state → tenure
But Democrats in Congress have argued that justices should be subject to term limits and rolled out proposals establishing those rules through legislation and constitutional amendments.
asserted
justices → argue → legislation
Several bills introduced in the House would set 18-year term limits for justices and establish regular appointments in certain years of a president's term.
asserted
bills → introduce → term
Under one of the proposals for a constitutional amendment, introduced by Maryland Democratic Rep. Johnny Olszewski, sitting justices who have been on the court for more than 18 years would have to retire.
asserted
who → introduce → years
Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Thomas have all served more than 18 years.
asserted
Roberts → serve → years
One of the term-limit plans comes from a Republican lawmaker, Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan.
asserted
One → come → Michigan
His proposal for a constitutional amendment would limit terms for members of the Supreme Court and lower courts to 20 years.
asserted
proposal → limit → years
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
