Retirement Benefits of US Supreme Court Justices

Retirement Benefits of US Supreme Court Justices Retiring U.S. Supreme Court justices are entitled to a lifetime pension equal to their highest full salary. In order to qualify for a full pension, retiring justices must have served for a minimum of 10 years provided the sum of the justices age and years of Supreme Court service totals 80. As of 2018, Associate Justices of the Supreme Court earned an annual salary of $255,300, while the Chief Justice was paid $267,000. Supreme Court associate justices who decide to retire at age 70, after 10 years on the job, or at age 65 with 15 years of service is eligible to receive their full highest salary – usually their salary at retirement for the rest of their lives. In return for this lifetime pension, judges who retire in relatively good health with no disabilities are required to remain active in the legal community, performing a minimum specified amount of judicial obligations every year. Why a Lifetime Full Salary? The United States Congress established the retirement for Supreme Court justices at full salary in the Judiciary Act of 1869, the same law that settled the number of justices at nine. Congress felt that since Supreme Court justices, like all federal judges, are well paid and appointed for life; a lifetime pension at full salary would encourage judges to retire rather than attempting to serve during extended periods of poor health and potential senility. Indeed, fear of death and decreased mental capacity are often cited as motivating factors in judges decisions to retire. President Franklin Roosevelt summed Congress reasoning up in his Fireside Chat of March 9, 1937, when he stated, We think it so much in the public interest to maintain a vigorous judiciary that we encourage the retirement of elderly judges by offering them a life pension at full salary. Other Benefits A good salary with an exceptionally good retirement plan is far from the only benefit to being appointed the Supreme Court. Among the others are: Health Care Federal judges are covered by the Federal Employee Health Benefits system. Federal judges are also free to acquire private health and long-term care insurance. Job Security All Supreme Court justices are appointed by the President of the United States, with the approval of the U.S. Senate, for a lifetime term. As specified on Article III, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court Justices â€Å"shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour,† meaning they can only be removed from the Court if they are impeached by the House of Representatives and removed if convicted in a trial held in the Senate. To date, only one Supreme Court justice has been impeached by the House. Justice Samuel Chase was impeached by the House in 1805 based on charges of allowing political partisanship to influence his decisions. Chase was subsequently acquitted by the Senate. Due to the security of their lifetime terms, Supreme Court justices, unlike any of the other presidentially-appointed, high-level federal bureaucrats, a free to make decisions without fear that doing so will cost them their jobs. Vacation Time and Workload Help How does three months per year off with full salary sound to you? The Supreme Court’s annual term includes a three-month recess, typically from July 1 through September 30. Justices receive the annual recess as vacation, with no judicial obligations and may use the free time as they see fit. When the Supreme Court is in session actively accepting, hearing, and deciding cases, the Justices receive extensive assistance from law clerks that read and prepare detailed summaries for the justices of the massive volume of material sent to the Court by other judges, lower courts, and lawyers. The clerks – whose jobs are highly prized and sought-after, also help the justices write their opinions on cases. Besides the highly technical writing, this job alone requires days of detailed legal research. Prestige, Power, and Fame For American judges and lawyers, there can be no more prestigious role in the legal profession than serving on the Supreme Court. Through their written decisions and statements on landmark cases, they become known worldwide, often with their names becoming household words. In possessing the power to overturn the actions of Congress and the President of the United States through their decisions, Supreme Court justices directly impact American history, as well as the day-to-day lives of the people. For example, landmark Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in public schools or Roe v. Wade, which recognized that the constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman’s right to have an abortion, will continue to affect American society for decades.