How Long of a Term May U.S. Supreme Court Justices Serve?
According to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court justices "hold their offices during good behavior," which means their terms are essentially indefinite. As long as the justice is physically and intellectually fit, and wishes to continue serving, he may sit for as long as he chooses. That changes only during certain specific circumstances, which arise infrequently at most.
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The Basics
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A Supreme Court justice is nominated by the president and must be approved by a majority vote in the U.S. Senate. The process gives the executive and legislative branches power over the judicial branch in an effort to maintain the separation of powers which the Founding Fathers considered extremely important. The confirmation process can be quite controversial, as politicians on both sides of the aisle work hard to shape the ideological makeup of the court.
Job Security
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Once the justice is confirmed, his position is extremely stable, and he need only worry about stepping down in the most extreme circumstances. This, too, was in keeping with the separation of powers: by making their tenure essentially a lifetime appointment, it frees the justices from the whims of politics, allowing them to make their decisions with due deliberation and respect for the law.
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Recess Appointments
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In instances where a Supreme Court justice dies or resigns, but the U.S. Senate is not in session, the president has the power to make a recess appointment. The justice is automatically confirmed, but serves only until the end of the Senate's next session, at which time he must be confirmed or rejected by the Senate.
Impeachment
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A Supreme Court justice may be removed from office if he is impeached. The procedure follows the same procedure as the impeachment of a president . The House of Representatives votes to impeach---presumably because the justice has committed a criminal act or otherwise disgraced the office---and then the U.S. Senate deliberates on whether the justice should be acquitted or convicted.
Instances of Removal
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In almost every case, Supreme Court justices have ended their tenure by resigning or dying. Recess appointments have been made eight times in the country's history; only once has the appointee not been subsequently confirmed by the Senate. (It was John Rutledge in the late 18th century.) Only one Supreme Court justice has ever been impeached---Samuel Chase in 1805---and he was not convicted by the Senate. Several others---notably William O. Douglas, who was appointed by Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s---have endured threats of impeachment without actually being impeached.
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