Judicial Term Limits Amendment [Failed]

[The Dowager Mod]

I will respectfully urge the senate to pass Ebowed's amendment, I can not speak for the other members of the court, but i for one will not be able to effectively do my job while at the same time being forced to look over my shoulder and perform like a trained monkey in an attempt to please the senate and/or the president because i have to worry about ruling the wrong way everytime a case comes up.

Well, all I can say is: You don't have to do that to get my vote for reconfirmation.

Anyone who remembers my initial confirmation hearings will understand where i'm coming from here.

[Sam Spade]

We are now voting on the following amendment:

I motion to add at the end of this legislation the following phrase:

"This amendment shall not apply to any Justice currently serving on the Court."

Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.


Nay.

[Brandon H]

Nay

[Ebowed]

Aye

[Hatman 🍁]

Aye

[minionofmidas]

I will respectfully urge the senate to pass Ebowed's amendment, I can not speak for the other members of the court, but i for one will not be able to effectively do my job while at the same time being forced to look over my shoulder and perform like a trained monkey in an attempt to please the senate and/or the president because i have to worry about ruling the wrong way everytime a case comes up.

Well, all I can say is: You don't have to do that to get my vote for reconfirmation.

Anyone who remembers my initial confirmation hearings will understand where i'm coming from here.

Sorry, I don't. Probably didn't read them at the time.

(Yes, I know there's a vote open. I merely haven't voted yet.)

[Rob]

Aye.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Nay

[Јas]

Tally on Ebowed's Amendment
Aye: 3 (Ebowed; Earl; Rob)
Nay: 3 (Sam; Brandon; Al)
Yet to Vote: 4 (DWTL; Lewis; PBrunsel; Phil)

[opebo]

Tally on Ebowed's Amendment
Aye: 3 (Ebowed; Earl; Rob)
Nay: 3 (Sam; Brandon; Al)
Yet to Vote: 4 (DWTL; Lewis; PBrunsel; Phil)

Well, we can see where this is going - the right-wing majority, including the fake socialist Al, will work its will upon the Court, tragically and irrevokably politicizing it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You should notice that I've not said why I'm voting against the amendment. That will become clear soon enough and it, probably, isn't for the same reason as some other nay votes.

[King]

Similar idea, albeit more complex:

Every 12 months, each member of the Supreme Court of Atlasia shall undergo an annual performance evaluation in front of the Senate and President of Atlasia.  If a 2/3rd majority of the Senate finds a Justice to be inadequate, the President must replace the Justice.  If a majority of less than 2/3rd of the Senate finds a Justice to be inadequate, the President will be given the option to remove or retain the Justice.  If the Senate votes a tie, there shall be a national referendum on the Justice based on the rules for Constitutional Amendments.

[Ebowed]

That's an acceptable idea, but if there's a tie, the issue should just fail and the Justice is found adequate.

[Sam Spade]

In order for me to consider the plan, King, the term "inadequate" needs to be defined and it needs to be defined clearly.

[opebo]

In order for me to consider the plan, King, the term "inadequate" needs to be defined and it needs to be defined clearly.

In practice, of course, it will mean 'whoever the majority disagrees with (or dislikes), SS.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

That's an acceptable idea, but if there's a tie, the issue should just fail and the Justice is found adequate.

I like the idea too.  I tried to flesh out something along those lines back on Aug 22 in my campaign thread, though my plan does not call for citizen involvement.

It sets up a supermajority requirement for removal (specifically, 7 of 10 Senators) and allows such a vote only once a year at specified intervals for each judicial seat.

[King]

In order for me to consider the plan, King, the term "inadequate" needs to be defined and it needs to be defined clearly.

That will be for the wonderful minds of the Atlasian Senate to decide.

[Sam Spade]

In order for me to consider the plan, King, the term "inadequate" needs to be defined and it needs to be defined clearly.

That will be for the wonderful minds of the Atlasian Senate to decide.

Well, then your amendment better give us that power.

[The Dowager Mod]

I could probably swallow this if the president were taken out of the process so there is a simple reconfirmation by the senate.

[opebo]

I agree the president should not be involved.  I still think lifetime appointments are the best system for impartiality, but perhaps a review in which Senatorial unanymity were required would be a reasonable compromise.  This would eliminate the obvious problem of politicization of the Court, because even the smallest party could veto the railroading of a justice by the right-wing Senators.

[King]

In order for me to consider the plan, King, the term "inadequate" needs to be defined and it needs to be defined clearly.

That will be for the wonderful minds of the Atlasian Senate to decide.

Well, then your amendment better give us that power.

I meant you write it into the amendment.

Considering I'm just some guy on the Senate floor rambling on, I figured you guys would handle the legislative stuff on my base idea.

Well, that and I don't want to define inadequate right now.

[Verily]

It seems reasonable to leave the personal definition of inadequacy up to the Senators. It would be essentially impossible to specifically define what sorts of offenses Senators could or could not oppose the renewal of a justice's term on (barring, I suppose, complete mental incapacity). Perhaps a line about "the Senators' individual discretion" could be added.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

It seems reasonable to leave the personal definition of inadequacy up to the Senators. It would be essentially impossible to specifically define what sorts of offenses Senators could or could not oppose the renewal of a justice's term on (barring, I suppose, complete mental incapacity). Perhaps a line about "the Senators' individual discretion" could be added.

Especially when Senators are just going to justify it however they want in their head anyway.

[Sam Spade]

Bumping...  less than one day to vote on this amendment...

[Јas]

As a reminder, the amendment at vote is the following:

I motion to add at the end of this legislation the following phrase:

"This amendment shall not apply to any Justice currently serving on the Court."

Current Tally on Ebowed's Amendment
Aye: 3 (Ebowed; Earl; Rob)
Nay: 3 (Sam; Brandon; Al)
Yet to Vote: 4 (DWTL; Lewis; PBrunsel; Phil)