Outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin III, a longtime moderate, is pushing for a constitutional amendment to establish 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.

The proposed amendment would not affect the justices currently serving on the high court. Under the amendment, a new term would begin every two years.

Mr. Manchin, West Virginia independent, has introduced the resolution with Sen. Peter Welch, Vermont Democrat.

“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,” Mr. Manchin said.

“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. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join our legislation to help restore faith in our judicial system,” he added.

Confirmation battles for Supreme Court justices have become more partisan, with the GOP ending the 60-vote threshold to confirm Justice Neil M. Gorsuch in 2017. President-elect Donald Trump had nominated him to a vacant seat after the death of the late Justice Antonin Scalia during the 2016 election campaign.

Democrats were outraged over the Republican majority in the Senate refusing to consider then-President Barack Obama’s high court nominee, Merrick Garland. They said the seat was stolen.

Democrats also say confidence in the Supreme Court is lost, as it appears more partisan.

In June, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research unveiled that 7 out of 10 Americans believe the Supreme Court justices are influenced by ideology.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s poll from earlier this year also found that confidence in the court decreased 22 points from 2019 to 2022. The survey also showed 68% of respondents backed term limits for the justices.

Mr. Manchin left the Democratic Party earlier this year and became an independent. He has described himself as a conservative Democrat.

He decided not to seek reelection, and his term will end in the new year.

Article III of the U.S. Constitution says justices “hold their office during good behavior,” meaning they are appointed for life and subject to impeachment.

• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.