Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties

Supreme Court term limits

35 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: How long justices serve decides how often presidents get to choose new ones and how quickly the court's rulings can change.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether Supreme Court justices should keep their lifetime appointments, which the Constitution provides, or serve fixed terms so that each president appoints justices on a regular schedule.1

  1. Set fixed terms, such as 18 years
  2. Keep lifetime appointments

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Set fixed terms, such as 18 years (34)

  • Mike McGuire CA-1
    His campaign website says he would fight to impose term limits on the U.S. Supreme Court.2
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says she would set term limits for newly appointed Supreme Court justices.3
  • Lateefah Simon CA-12
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.4
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says Supreme Court justices should serve 18-year terms and lists his bill under which the president could nominate a justice every two years.5,6
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres CA-34
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.7
  • Joe Krzeczkowski CO-7
    His campaign website calls for limits on how long anyone can serve on the Supreme Court.8
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.9
  • Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. GA-4
    His campaign website says he proposed the TERM Act, which would set term limits for Supreme Court justices.10,11,12
  • Josh Turek IA Senate
    His campaign website says he supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.13
  • Todd Achilles ID Senate
    His campaign website says Supreme Court justices should be limited to 18 years.14
  • Ellie Gilbreath ID-2
    Her policies page says she supports 18-year terms for Supreme Court justices.15
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he supports 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.16
  • Jamee Decio IN-2
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.17
  • Adam Hamilton KS Senate
    His campaign website says the constitutional amendment on 18-year term limits that he supports would also cover the Supreme Court.18
  • Christopher Campbell KY Senate
    His campaign website says the same constitutional amendment would set 18-year terms for Supreme Court justices.19
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Policy Plans page lists replacing lifetime Supreme Court appointments with staggered 18-year terms.20
  • Charlotte Magoon MI-2
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.21
  • Ray Pooley MI-9
    His campaign website says he will enact term limits for the Supreme Court.22
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he supports ending lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court and setting limited terms.23
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It also calls for term limits for justices.24
  • DeVelle L. Jackson MN-5
    It says he supports an 18-year cap on service by Supreme Court justices as well.25
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website says he supports 12-year terms for future federal judges and Supreme Court justices.26
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says she supports 18-year term limits and age limits for Supreme Court justices, through a constitutional amendment if needed.27
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website says he supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.28
  • Ashley Bell NC-10
    Her campaign website lists term limits for Supreme Court justices among the policies she supports.29
  • Dan Osborn NE Senate
    His campaign website says he supports 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.30
  • Chris Backemeyer NE-1
    His campaign website says he supports term limits and a mandatory retirement age for the judicial branch.31
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website says she supports the TERM Act, which would set 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.32,33
  • Analilia Mejia NJ-11
    Her campaign issues page says she supports term limits that would apply to Supreme Court justices appointed in the future.34
  • Adam Hamawy NJ-12
    His campaign website says he supports imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices.35
  • Winston Jordan NJ-12
    His policy platform website lists 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices as well as for Congress.36
  • Chris Henry OR Senate
    His platform calls for term limits for Supreme Court justices.37
  • Brian L Bengs SD Senate
    His campaign website supports term limits for Supreme Court justices and says Congress can achieve the same result without a constitutional amendment.38
  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.39

Statements that don't match one option (1)

  • Ramon Mora Jr. NJ-2
    It also lists a ten-year public vote on removing Supreme Court justices, in which voters could remove justices but would not choose them.40