Part ofSupreme Court →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

SJRES120FEDERALFederal Billfiled

High Impact

Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Set 18-Year Supreme Court Terms

Original title: SJRES 120: Supreme Court Justice Appointment Amendment

Record date · December 5, 2024

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

What This Bill Would Do

This resolution proposes a Constitutional amendment to establish fixed 18-year terms for Supreme Court justices and a regularized appointment schedule. If ratified, it would limit justices to a single 18-year term and create a process for filling vacancies that occur before a term ends.

Why it matters

This proposal would fundamentally change the lifetime tenure of Supreme Court justices, potentially shifting the balance of power and the frequency of judicial appointments for all future federal administrations.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Supreme Court Justices

Future justices would be subject to fixed 18-year terms and a prohibition on reappointment.

Directly affected

President of the United States

The President's appointment power would be constrained by the new term schedule and the requirement to appoint successors only for the remainder of unexpired terms.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Would this affect justices currently serving on the Supreme Court?

The text specifies that the new term limits and appointment rules apply to justices appointed on or after the date of the amendment's .

What happens if a justice retires early?

The President may appoint a replacement to serve only for the remainder of that specific 18-year term, subject to Senate confirmation.

How does someone become Chief Justice under this proposal?

The role would no longer be a separate appointment; instead, the most senior justice serving at the time a vacancy arises would automatically become the Chief Justice.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Automatic Chief Justice Succession

The proposal shifts the Chief Justice role from a distinct presidential appointment to an automatic seniority-based succession.

Supreme Court of the United States

Connected Entities

Supreme Court of the United States, United States

OrganizationSupreme Court of the United States“The subject of the amendment being proposed.”Map →

locationUnited States“The jurisdiction for the amendment.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance95
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy85
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz60
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools