Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the terms of office of the judges of the Supreme Court and inferior courts.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This joint resolution would replace life tenure for future federal judicial appointments with a 20-year term. Each Supreme Court justice and inferior federal court judge appointed after ratification would serve during good behavior for 20 years, and no person who completes a 20-year term could be reappointed to the same court. The article applies only to appointments made after ratification, so current judges would not be displaced.
Who Benefits and How
Judicial term-limit advocates benefit because the amendment creates regular turnover on the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Future Presidents benefit from more predictable opportunities to appoint federal judges over time. Senate Judiciary Committee members benefit from a steadier confirmation calendar if vacancies become more regular. Litigants concerned about judicial accountability benefit from a judiciary with less lifetime entrenchment for future appointees.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Future Supreme Court justices lose life tenure and must leave that court after a 20-year term. Future lower federal judges lose life tenure for the court to which they are appointed. Courts must manage transition and senior-status questions created by fixed terms. State legislatures must decide whether to ratify a major change to Article III tenure.
Key Provisions
- Provides 20-year terms for Supreme Court and inferior federal court judges.
- Bars reappointment to the same court after a completed 20-year term.
- Limits the amendment to appointments after ratification.
- Amends federal judicial tenure from life service during good behavior to fixed terms for future appointees.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Proposes a constitutional amendment imposing 20-year terms for Supreme Court and inferior federal court judges, barring reappointment to the same court after a completed term, and applying prospectively.
Key Policy Areas
Judiciary, Constitutional Amendment
Primary Purpose
Proposes a constitutional amendment imposing 20-year terms for Supreme Court and inferior federal court judges, barring reappointment to the same court after a completed term, and applying prospectively.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Judicial term-limit advocates
- Future Presidents
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Litigants seeking judicial accountability
Identified Costs
- Future Supreme Court justices
- Future federal judges
- Courts
- State legislatures
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Barrett submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred …
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Future Supreme Court justices, Future federal judges, Judicial term-limit advocates
Positive-direction: Judicial term-limit advocates
Negative-direction: Future Supreme Court justices, Future federal judges
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology