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Should Supreme Court Justices Continue to Serve for Life?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Publication Title

The New York Times Upfront

Abstract

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly in February at age 79. The Court has since operated with one of its nine seats vacant, affecting the outcome of many cases.

The Republican-controlled Senate has refused to consider President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C. Court of Appeals, to fill the vacancy. In the midst of a hotly contested election, Republican leaders say the next president should make the appointment.

One of the reasons for the political standoff is that the stakes are so high: Once approved by the Senate, Supreme Court justices serve for the rest of their lives or until they choose to step down or are impeached. Here, two legal experts weigh in on whether life tenure for justices still makes sense.

Keywords

Supreme Court, Judicial Tenure, Lifetime Appointment, Constitutional Law, Judicial Reform, US Politics, Legal Debate, Term Limits, Federal Judiciary, Democracy

Publication Citation

Neil M. Richards & Paul D. Carrington, Should Supreme Court Justices Continue to Serve for Life?, The New York Times Upfront, Sep. 5, 2016, https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2016-17/090516/should-supreme-court-justices-continue-to-serve-for-life-.html

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