Legislation Search

H.R. 3544: Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act of 2025

This legislation, known as the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act of 2025, proposes changes to the appointment and service of justices on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Key Provisions

1. Appointment of Justices

The bill establishes that:

The President will nominate one justice every 18 months during the first and third years after a presidential election, subject to Senate confirmation.
No justice can be appointed outside of this scheduled method.
Each individual can only serve one 18-year term on the Supreme Court, limiting repeated appointments.
The Senate must confirm or reject nominations within specific timeframes: 90 days for initial nominations and 120 days for subsequent nominations if the initial choice is withdrawn or disapproved.

2. Duration of Active Service

The legislation specifies the duration of active service for justices:

Newly appointed justices will serve for 18 years from the date they are sworn in.
Current justices serving at the time the bill is enacted will be deemed to retire in order of their length of service, coinciding with the appointment of new justices.

3. Senior Justices

The bill includes provisions for the role of senior justices:

If there are vacancies or other reasons that reduce the number of active justices, a retired justice can be chosen by the Chief Justice through a transparent, randomized process to serve temporarily, until the number of sitting justices is restored to the mandated count.

Rationale

The proposed changes aim to modernize the tenure of Supreme Court justices, aiming for a more regular and predictable cycle of appointments and ensuring that justices do not remain on the Court indefinitely. The method of appointing justices is designed to enhance accountability and to ensure timely confirmations following presidential nominations.