Judiciary Lifetime Appointments

[hyphenate]

I think that the rules about the Supreme Court's length of service needs to be reconsidered. Lifetime appointments, regardless of which side they're on, need to be stopped. For the most part, some of the justices could serve well into their senior years, but I think that some of the justices need to be relieved of duty after they hit a reasonable age, perhaps 70, but certainly not into their 80s or beyond. Physical illness, as well as other limitations, affect most of us at some point (hell, I'm in my early 50s and I can't think so good some of the time), and trying to make landmark decisions with a slower mind is going to end up being arbitrary at best. Some of the judges will keep illnesses to themselves instead of telling the world the truth, and that doesn't bode well for all of us.

And let's face it: some of our SCOTUS folks might simply like the chance to retire!

[shraby]

1. Not to mention Scalia who seems to get

dottier and dottier by the year.

[WillowTree]

2. They can retire any time they want to.

Just as Justice O'Connor did.

And changing the lifetime term for Federal judges would require a Constitutional Amendment. It would be very difficult to get the votes necessary regardless of which way the courts are leaning at any given point in time.

[Supersedeas]

3. Jay Bybee -- co-author of the Torture Memo, also a lifetime appointment

[depakid]

4. Confirmed by Democrats

[lonestarnot]

5. Sounds reasonable.

[treestar]

6. IA. Or they should not be nominated until they are of a certain age

No one should spend 40 years on that, or any other, court.

The * Admin. takes the line that we have no right of judicial review, and that the lower federal courts don't have to exist. If they take that line, why don't they admit their appointees shouldn't stay there forever? (Though the Constitution says differently, but when has * ever cared about what that document said?)

[Thothmes]

7. Think a max age of 75 would work well. Agree, lifetime

appointments ensure that the courts will not respond to the changing social and political climates in the country. Then again, there those that will argue, that is the intent of the current system. JMO