Finally, unlike every other established democracy, America did not introduce term limits or mandatory retirement ages for Supreme Court justices. Today, in the Supreme Court, judges effectively serve for life. It’s an entirely different story at the state level. Of the fifty U.S. states, forty-six imposed term limits on state supreme court justices during the nineteenth or twentieth century. Three others adopted mandatory retirement ages. Only Rhode Island maintains lifetime tenure for its supreme court justices. But among national democracies, America, like Rhode Island, stands alone.
