# What This Bill Does: Limiting Supreme Court Justices to 18-Year Terms

This bill would fundamentally change how Supreme Court justices serve by imposing an 18-year term limit on all future justices and gradually phasing out the current system where justices serve for life. Right now, Supreme Court justices can serve until they die or choose to retire, which means some justices have served for 30+ years. This bill would end that practice.

Here's how it would work: Starting immediately, the President would appoint one new Supreme Court justice every two years (specifically in the first and third years after each presidential election). Each new justice would serve for exactly 18 years and then automatically retire. This creates a predictable schedule where every president gets to appoint roughly two justices per four-year term. For the nine current justices already on the Court, they would gradually retire in order of seniority—the longest-serving justice would retire first when the first new justice is appointed, then the next longest-serving would retire when the second new justice arrives, and so on. This means the entire current Court would be replaced over time as new justices are appointed.

The bill also adds a new rule: once a justice retires from active service, they can't come back as a regular justice, though they could potentially serve temporarily if the Court falls below nine justices due to unexpected vacancies or health issues. The Senate would have 90 days to confirm each new justice, or 120 days if a nomination is rejected and the President nominates someone else.

The practical effect is that the Supreme Court's composition would become more predictable and would shift with each presidency in a regular pattern, rather than depending on when justices happen to die or retire. Supporters argue this would make the Court less subject to chance and give each president a more equal say in shaping it. Critics worry it could make the Court more politically volatile if it changes more frequently.