Manchin, Welch introduce constitutional amdt to limit SCOTUS justice terms
Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., have introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit Supreme Court justices to 18-year terms, with a new term beginning every two years. Manchin, who is retiring at the end of this year, and Welch, argue that the current lifetime appointment system for Supreme Court justices has led to “polarizing confirmation battles” and diminishing public trust in the judiciary.
“The current lifetime appointment structure is broken and fuels polarizing confirmation battles and political posturing that has eroded public confidence in the highest court in our land,” Manchin said in a statement posted on his website. “Our amendment maintains that there shall never be more than nine justices and would gradually create regular vacancies on the court, allowing the president to appoint a new justice every two years with the advice and consent of the United States Senate.”
According to Manchin’s website, the proposed amendment would not affect the tenure of current sitting justices. They would still be able to serve their lifelong appointments or retire as they see fit.
If a current justice retires or dies, the amendment would establish a transition period to maintain regular vacancies on the court. Starting every two years, new justices would be appointed to 18-year terms, regardless of when a vacancy opens.
When a justice retires, their replacement would serve the rest of the next 18-year term. The total number of justices would remain unchanged.
“Taking action to restore public trust in our nation’s most powerful court is as urgent as it is necessary,” Welch said in a statement. “Setting term limits for Supreme Court justices will cut down on political gamesmanship and is commonsense reform supported by a majority of Americans. I’m proud to lead this effort with Senator Manchin that will restore Americans’ faith in our judicial system.”
Currently, Supreme Court justices serve for life and remain on the bench until they either retire or become incapacitated. A constitutional amendment would be required to change the lifetime appointment system.
In order to pass the amendment, both the House and Senate would need to approve it with a two-thirds majority. Additionally, three-quarters of U.S. states must ratify the amendment for it to be enacted.
Manchin emphasized the need for legislative action, calling on his colleagues to “restore faith in our judicial system.”
McConnell says filibuster is secure with Republican Senate majority
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the filibuster is secure now that Republicans have won a majority in the chamber. McConnell made the comment to reporters while taking a victory lap the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 6.
“This shifting to a Republican Senate Majority helps control the guardrails to keep people who want to change the rules in order to achieve something they think is worthwhile is not successful,” McConnell said. “So I think the filibuster is very secure.”
The Senate’s filibuster allows for unlimited debate on legislation and can only be overcome with 60 votes. Without that supermajority, bills cannot be approved.
In January 2022, Democrats tried and failed to alter the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
Earlier this year, senior Senate Democrats told Straight Arrow News they would reconsider changing the Senate’s filibuster rules if they held the majority. They were unable to make the change with their current majority because Sens. Joe Manchin, I-WV, and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., opposed it.
“Because Senator Sinema essentially opposed changing the filibuster, now, we may have a majority in favor of reforming this set of rules which is obstructive, really an obstacle to progress that the American people want,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in March.
“I hope that we will use this opportunity to take a hard look at the Senate rules,” Sen Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said when Sinema announced her retirement.
President-elect Donald Trump has called for eliminating the filibuster on multiple occasions.
In 2017 he called on McConnell to end it after Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obama care.
The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME!
In 2018 he told them to do it again, because he heard Schumer would do it the next time Democrats won a majority, so he said Republicans might as well do it first. In both instances, McConnell and Republican leaders rejected him.
McConnell also said Wednesday that as long as Republicans have a majority, they won’t allow the District of Columbia to be granted statehood, something that would lead to two new Democratic Senators.
“The filibuster will stand, there won’t be any new states admitted that give a partisan advantage to the other side, and we’ll quit beating up the Supreme Court every time we don’t like a decision they make,” McConnell said.
In 2021, House Democrats used their majority to pass a bill that would make the District of Columbia the 51st state. However, the legislation could not get through the Senate.
Trump speaks of ‘incredible’ win after projected to be next US president
Donald Trump is poised to win the presidency again. How Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania helped put him over the top. And while Republicans have picked up seats in the Senate, will they also take the House? A look at where things stand. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024.
Trump speaks of ‘incredible’ win after projected to be next U.S. president
Former President Donald Trump declared victory while addressing supporters in Florida early Wednesday morning, Nov. 6, as his lead over Vice President Kamala Harris grew. He picked up critical wins in key battleground states Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.
“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it is now clear that we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” Trump said. “Look what happened — is this crazy? But it’s a political victory that our country has never seen before, nothing like this. I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president.”
Harris’ path to the 270 electoral votes has become less of a possibility, with most media outlets projecting Trump as the winner Wednesday morning. As of the time this article was published, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS, the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ, a forecasting and analysis organization, have projected him to be the winner.
Donald Trump wins presidency for second time, completing improbable comeback https://t.co/VGPT8X5I88
Trump, who survived two assassination attempts during the campaign, was surrounded by family, Republican leaders, and his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance as he addressed the crowd inside the Palm Beach Convention Center around 2:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he told supporters. “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason and that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness and now we are going to fulfill that mission together.”
Vice President Harris, who picked up wins in California and New York, did not speak Tuesday night, Nov. 5, but earlier in the evening campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond spoke to supporters at Howard University. He said the vice president was not giving up the fight despite how the numbers were going.
“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken, so you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow,” he said. ”She will be back here tomorrow to address not only the HU family, not only to address our supporters, but to address the nation.”
Multiple news networks have confirmed Harris is slated to speak Wednesday morning. However, it is worth noting there reportedly has been no concession call yet from Harris to Trump.
Ray Bogan recaps election night from Washington
Washington is going to look a lot different in January.
Donald Trump made an extraordinary comeback. He lost the electoral and popular votes in 2020 after stinging defeats in Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania. This time around Trump won back both Georgia and Pennsylvania. He also took Wisconsin.
Republicans also won a majority in the Senate, with key victories in Ohio and West Virginia pushing them over the top. This will give them a key advantage as they work to confirm Trump’s cabinet picks and judicial nominations.
It’s important to remember that the majorities in Congress are razor-thin and nowhere near filibuster-proof in the Senate. So passing legislation will require bipartisanship.
The big question now is – who will be the Senate majority leader? The three candidates are John Thune from South Dakota, John Cornyn from Texas and Rick Scott from Florida.
Balance of power in Congress shifts, GOP retakes control of Senate
As Ray mentioned, the balance of power is shifting in Congress. Republicans will retake control of the Senate for the first time in four years.
The GOP flipped seats in West Virginia and Ohio, giving Republicans at least a 51-seat majority in the Senate.
In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice is slated to replace the outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent who caucused with Democrats. In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno is projected by multiple outlets to defeat incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown.
How the House of Representatives will play out remains to be seen. Republicans are hoping to retain control of the chamber.
They currently hold a slim majority, yet there are still over 100 races yet to be determined as of the time of publishing. Going into the night, Democrats needed to flip four seats to gain.
Stein wins in NC governor’s race, Republicans see victory in other states
Voters in 11 states also chose their next governors. While Republicans won big, Democrats did manage to retain power in several states.
North Carolina remained blue after the state’s Democratic attorney general, Josh Stein, beat out controversial Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Robinson — who made history as the first Black lieutenant governor in the state — was already trailing in the polls, but his numbers took a dive in mid-September after CNN released a report detailing comments he allegedly made on a pornography website message board more than a decade ago on race, gender and abortion.
Thank you, North Carolina! I am honored to serve as your next governor. Tonight, we came together to resoundingly embrace a vision that is optimistic, forward-looking, and welcoming. I couldn't have done this without each of you. pic.twitter.com/3eeGGTVHed
In Delaware, Democrat Matt Meyer wins the race for governor. Meyer defeated Republican Mike Ramone and will take over from two-term Democratic Gov. John Carney.
Washington state will stay blue after Attorney General Bob Ferguson beat out Republican challenger Dave Reichert for the job. The seat was up for grabs after Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee said he would not be running again after serving three terms.
Indiana went from blue to red, with Republican Mike Braun defeating Democrat Jennifer McCormick. McCormick is a former Republican who split with the party after serving as the state’s schools superintendent.
Meanwhile, Republican Missouri remained red. The state’s Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe is set to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Parson.
North Dakota stayed red, as well. Kelly Armstrong is projected to succeed Gov. Doug Burgum, who also chose not to run again after serving three terms. It is possible Burgum will get a place in the Trump administration.
Republicans will now have governors in 27 states; Democrats in 23.
*Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since our recording to correct that North Carolina did not flip blue as the current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat.
Voters in four states chose whether to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right. The measure did not pass in Florida, Nebraska or South Dakota, but did in Colorado and Nevada.
Nebraska voters actually had two abortion-related measures on their ballot. While the constitutional right to an abortion failed, the other measure, which would prohibit abortions after the first trimester, passed.
Five other states were deciding on the right to an abortion. The measures passed in Arizona, Maryland, Missouri, and New York and is expected to make it through in Montana.
3 newly elected senators, 1 congresswoman making history
History was made in three states on Election Day.
In Delaware, Lisa Blunt Rochester — who already made history as the first woman and first Black person to represent the state in Congress — will now become the first Black woman to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate.
Maryland Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will be the first Black candidate to represent her state in the Senate.
We just won our Senate race! As a son of immigrants, a public school kid, I never could’ve imagined I’d get to serve as a US Senator. I’m deeply humbled and grateful to NJ and for everyone who got us here. I promise I’ll serve with honor and integrity as a public servant for all. pic.twitter.com/qpuobm9Vf3
New Jersey Democrat Andy Kim will become the first Korean-American ever elected to the Senate. At 42 years old, he’ll also be the Senate’s third youngest member.
Finally, Sarah McBride, who won Delaware’s only open House seat, will be the first openly transgender person to be elected to Congress.
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Republicans claim Senate majority, end Democrats’ four-year hold
Battle for US Senate likely to come down to a few states
While the presidential race is dominating the headlines, the balance of power in the Senate is at stake in the upcoming election. Democrats hold a slim 51-49 edge, which includes four Independents who caucus with them.
If the Republicans can pick up just one additional seat and Donald Trump wins the presidency, a 50-50 split in the Senate would lead to JD Vance being the tie breaking vote as vice president. If the GOP adds two seats, they take control of the Senate no matter who wins the presidential election.
There are 34 Senate races this November, with Democrats trying to protect a majority of those seats. Many long-time incumbents are safe, meaning the control of the Senate will come down to a few key states.
Pennsylvania is a key toss-up state where incumbent Democrat Bob Casey is trying to fend off Republican Dave McCormick. Polls show Casey is up by about five percentage points.
In Ohio, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown is trying to keep his seat and beat back a challenge from Republican Bernie Moreno. Polls show Brown leading by a few points.
Perhaps the best chance for a Republican pick-up is in Montana. Incumbent Democrat Jon Tester is lagging behind Republican challenger Tim Sheehy. That race could be the important second pick-up for the GOP.
In West Virginia, where Independent Joe Manchin is retiring, Republican candidate Jim Justice is a heavy favorite.
Arizona, Wisconsin and Florida are also expected to have competitive races.
At this point, Real Clear Politics is forecasting that Republicans will pick-up two seats in November and take control of the U.S. Senate by a 51-49 margin.
Manchin won’t endorse Harris over differences on filibuster, abortion rights
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., will not be endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president due to differences over the Senate filibuster. Manchin, who first won a seat in the Senate back in 2010, is retiring at the end of the year.
The former Democrat expressed criticism toward Harris’ suggestion to toss out the Senate filibuster in order to advance a bill that would guarantee abortion rights in the United States. The vice president recently made such remarks on the campaign trail.
“Shame on her,” Manchin told CNN. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of our democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together.” He went on to say the country is more important than one person’s ideology.
If the Senate filibuster is eliminated, it would lower the threshold in the Senate from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51 to advance legislation.
Earlier this year, Manchin said there is no way he could support the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. He said a second Trump presidency would be detrimental to the United States and the country’s standing in the world.
Kamala Harris calls for ending filibuster to codify national abortion rights
Vice President Kamala Harris is advocating for the elimination of the U.S. Senate filibuster to codify abortion rights. This represents the most significant step Harris has taken in her pledge to restore federal abortion rights if elected in November.
“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” Harris said in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday, Sept. 24. “To actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom, and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.”
Currently, the filibuster requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. Harris believes this should be removed so that a simple majority of 51 votes could pass abortion legislation. A simple majority vote is all it takes to eliminate the filibuster.
Some Senate Democrats, including Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, expressed support for bypassing the filibuster to codify abortion rights. With the election approaching, the majority winner may determine the fate of the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer believes this issue could incentivize voters to choose Democratic candidates.
“It’s pretty certain that voting rights — if we get our 50 and Kamala’s president, we have the votes to do that,” Schumer said. “We need to make sure people know that when they vote for a Republican candidate, they’re voting for basically a national abortion ban. And when we do it, it has real resonance.”
Recent Democratic efforts to end the filibuster have been hindered by moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, both of whom are retiring from the Senate at the end of the year.
Former President Donald Trump has stated he wants to keep decisions about abortion at the state level, supporting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Harris has vowed to restore federal abortion rights if elected, making reproductive rights central to her campaign.
Sen. Manchin denies bid for president as new Democratic ticket questions swirl
In an unprecedented turn of events just weeks before Election Day, the Democratic Party finds itself in uncharted territory after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., a prominent political figure, confirmed on Monday, July 22, that he will not be seeking any office, prompting further discussions within Democratic circles.
The sudden vacuum at the top of the Democratic ticket has sparked speculation and uncertainty about who will now lead the charge against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
With less than a month remaining until the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for the week of Aug. 19, the party is under immense pressure to regroup and present a unified front.
Former President Barack Obama, along with other key figures within the party, has yet to officially endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, who has emerged as a front-runner for the nomination. While President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and several other prominent Democrats have thrown their support behind Harris, the absence of a full consensus highlights the challenges ahead in selecting a new front-runner.
Adding to the complexity is the question of who will join the ticket as the vice presidential nominee. Discussions are already underway, with a focus on selecting a candidate who can appeal to swing states that are crucial for electoral success.
The Democratic Party’s leadership must now navigate through a series of critical decisions with little time to spare.
All eyes are on the upcoming convention, where the new Democratic ticket is slated to be finalized.
Manchin says anything can happen in toxic environment after party change
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., announced that he left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent. He has until Aug. 1 to declare his candidacy for a statewide race such as governor — if he decides to run.
Straight Arrow News recently spoke with Manchin about a local news report that said Republicans in West Virginia are encouraging him to run for governor. He said he fully supports the Democratic nominee Steve Williams, but added, “Well, anything can happen.”
Political Correspondent Ray Bogan asked Manchin now that he changed his registration, is this that “anything”?
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Joe Manchin: No, no, no, I’m supporting Steve Williams. I think he’s a good man — he’s shown that he’s able to do the job, he works hard, he’s made a lot of changes in Huntington. I hope the voters of West Virginia just look at the quality of the human being that he is. With that being said, you never let any type of, if you think venue that you could, something could happen, we don’t know, in a toxic political world that we live in, anything can happen.
So I’ve been wanting to do this for an awful long time. I’ve always been independent, I think people know that. Now just officially making a change to no party affiliation is just finally doing that as I transition into my private life, which will be in January. It shows that I just didn’t wait until I got out of here and then made a change. I want to make a change now and continue in the last six months trying to bring people together. That’s what it’s about.
Ray Bogan: What’s the most important thing you can do as an independent that you kind of do as a Democrat?
Joe Manchin: As an independent you can be an honest broker with both sides. The brand is so toxic in Washington and all over America, you’re either a D or an R. If you’re a D, you’re supposed to hate Rs. If you’re an R, you’re supposed to hate Ds. I don’t hate anybody. I work with both sides. But when you still have an identification of one brand or another an R or a D, they look at you through rose colored glasses, if you will. Oh yeah, you’re talking a good game, but do you really mean it?
For me, they know I’m serious about independency, basically doing what’s right for the country, putting the country before party. That’s what we got to get back to. Younger generations got to step up now and protect who we are. The rule of law is being attacked. The qualifications and the sincerity of every agency — if you don’t like it because it’s not in your political wheelhouse, they go after and attack you. We saw yesterday with Dr. Fauci, things of this sort. It has come to an end. People have to say, “Enough’s enough.”
Joe Manchin leaves Democrats, registers as independent. Will he run for governor?
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent. Manchin blamed both parties for what he described as broken national politics and said neither party is willing to find common ground.
“The American brand is the brand that I carry the proudest and I will always do that,” Manchin said in a video statement. “I’m able to do that more by being a registered no party affiliate independent than having a D or an R by my name.”
WATCH: Let’s work together to fix America. Don’t hate the other side. There’s only one side – the American side – and we have to work together to save our country. That’s why I changed my party registration to no party affiliation. pic.twitter.com/Q0w6y0tKDb
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) May 31, 2024
So what does this mean for the balance of power in the Senate? Not much. Manchin can continue to caucus with the Democrats, which would mean the Senate majority would not be impacted.
Manchin already voted against President Joe Biden on key agenda items like student loan cancellation, and he said he will only vote to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees if they receive bipartisan support.
The real question is, will Manchin run for governor?
Straight Arrow News’ Political Correspondent Ray Bogan spoke with him after a report revealed Republicans in the state were calling to encourage him to get in the race.
Ray Bogan: “Chairman Manchin, there’s a report out that Republicans in West Virginia are calling you to encourage you to run for governor, are you interested?”
Joe Manchin: “Let me just tell you, Steve Williams is my dear friend. He’s our nominee and I’m supporting Steve Williams.”
Ray Bogan: “Is there any circumstance in which you may run?”
Joe Manchin: “Well, anything can happen, you know, but right now that’s not going to. Steve Williams is our nominee, he got elected. I supported him and he’s just a good man. He can do a good job for our state.”
Manchin has time to make a decision. West Virginia’s filing deadline for independents is Aug. 1.
Money will not be an issue. His campaign had more than $8 million cash on hand as of March. The Republican and Democrat in the race had a little over $700,000 combined.
Republicans want Manchin to run for WV gov. He says: ‘Anything can happen’
Republicans in West Virginia are encouraging Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin to run for governor. Manchin served as West Virginia’s governor from 2005 to 2010 and he’s been a senator ever since. He announced that he will not seek reelection in November.
“Two sources confirmed that the outreach comes from Republicans who oppose the GOP nominee for governor, Patrick Morrisey,” West Virginia’s Metro News said in a report. “One source said at least 20 Republicans with financial resources have reached out to Manchin.”
Straight Arrow News’ Political Correspondent Ray Bogan spoke with Manchin who said he fully supports the Democratic nominee, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. However, Manchin also said that “anything can happen.”
Ray Bogan: Chairman Manchin, there’s a report out that Republicans in West Virginia are calling you to encourage you to run for governor, are you interested?
Sen. Joe Manchin: Let me just tell you, Steve Williams is my dear friend. He’s our nominee and I’m supporting Steve Williams.
Ray Bogan: Is there any circumstance in which you may run?
Joe Manchin: Well, anything can happen, you know, but right now that’s not going to. Steve Williams is our nominee, he got elected. I supported him and he’s just a good man. He can do a good job for our state.
Republicans who oppose Morrisey would want Manchin to run for his name recognition and resources. According to Metro, Williams only has a little over $30,000 cash on hand, while Morrisey has $685,000. As of March, the Manchin campaign had more than $8 million.