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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.
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
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to limit the terms of federal judges, both on the Supreme Court and lower courts, to 20 years instead of lifetime appointments. After serving a 20-year term, a judge would be ineligible for reappointment to the same court. The amendment would only apply to judges appointed after its ratification. The amendment would require approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, followed by ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI)
Actions (2)
- Jan 30, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- Jan 30, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
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Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 30, 2026
Mr. Barrett submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
JOINT RESOLUTION
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.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States:
“Article—
“Section 1. Each judge of the Supreme Court and each inferior court shall be appointed to serve during good behavior for a term of 20 years. “Section 2. No person who has served a term of 20 years as a judge of the Supreme Court or an inferior court shall be eligible for reappointment as a judge in the court in which such term was served. “Section 3. This article shall only apply to an appointment occurring on or after the date of the ratification of this article.”. <all>
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