By Brennan Center
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The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law announced a $30 million long-term commitment from philanthropist and businessman Jim Kohlberg to seek reform of the Supreme Court. The donation will be used to establish the Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court, the first named unit within the Brennan Center. The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute dedicated to democracy and justice issues.
The Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court will use this significant investment to concentrate resources over the long term toward research, public education, and policy advocacy for Supreme Court reform. It will build on the Brennan Center’s long-standing work on Supreme Court term limits and ethics reform while also incubating additional ideas, such as reforms relating to the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket,” its power to pick the cases it decides, and Congress’s ability to respond quickly to the Court’s rulings. Among other things, the Kohlberg Center will convene scholars, hold public symposia, publish policy reports and research, and advance proposals for Supreme Court reform.
The transformational gift, the largest ever given by Kohlberg, comes as the Supreme Court’s public legitimacy has been undermined by ethics violations and as it concluded another contentious term. Public demand for Supreme Court reform is growing, including reports that President Biden will propose a package of reforms. The Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity from prosecution, coming in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, rulings on the Second Amendment and regulatory power, and a ruling ending race-based affirmative action in higher education, have further fueled controversy.
Seven in ten Americans believe justices put ideology over impartiality, and Supreme Court approval ratings have hit near-record lows, according to public opinion polls. Proposals to reform the court have broad support among Independents, Republicans, and Democrats. According to a recent Fox News public opinion poll, 78% of voters support 18-year terms for justices, including 68 percent of Republicans.
“We are at a tipping point,” saidJim Kohlberg. “Without significant reform, the U.S. Supreme Court will remain unchecked, jeopardizing constitutional values and our democracy for generations. I can think of no better institution than the Brennan Center to lead the critical work ahead to hold the Supreme Court accountable.”
“The Supreme Court’s unelected members serve for life. They wield vast power with minimal accountability,” said Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center and author of The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America. “There is broad public support across the political spectrum for Supreme Court reform. There is a bipartisan consensus in the country, if not yet in the halls of power. The issue demands sustained focus and creative, nonpartisan work. We will use Jim Kohlberg’s generous gift to deepen the public’s understanding and broaden support for reforming the court.” Waldman was a member of the 2021 Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States.
In making his long-term investment in the Brennan Center, Kohlberg challenged other philanthropists who care about democracy to join his effort to ensure the Supreme Court is accountable to the American people.
About the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law
The Brennan Center for Justice is an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and when necessary, defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice.
About Jim Kohlberg
Jim Kohlberg is a businessman and philanthropist committed to protecting the sanctity of our democratic institutions. He is one of the founders of the private equity firm Kohlberg & Company in 1987, where he still serves as Chairman. Inspired by his family’s philanthropy, Kohlberg has worked with and supported environmental and educational causes for decades. He was previously a board member of EcoAmerica and served on The New York Times Company’s board for over 10 years.
Learn more here.
