What is the term of office for Supreme Court justices

Today’s Supreme Court is not only highly political, it’s also polarized along partisan lines in a way that mirrors other broken political institutions. Our freedoms sit on a razor’s edge, with the percentage of 5-4 rulings under Chief Justice Roberts near an all-time high. A single justice’s vote holds the key on health care, voting, civil rights and religious freedom.

With lifetime appointments, justices are free to push their personal, ideological agendas for decades with almost no accountability. So how can we move the court away from partisanship and closer to the founders’ intent?

One compelling answer is 18-year term limits, which would solve critical problems:

• Supreme Court justices now serve on average longer on average than at any point in American history (28 years) and are gaming their retirements. Life tenure gives justices the perverse incentive to stay on the court until a President with whom they tend to agree sits in the Oval Office, meaning some hold onto their seats past their intellectual primes and wait until the “right” person is elected to the White House to retire.
• Life tenure has turned nominations into a political circus. It’s no longer a priority to find the best candidate for the job who will serve with integrity and who has broad life experience. Instead, the party in charge scrambles to find the youngest, often most ideological nominee (who, at the same time, knows the right things to say at a confirmation hearing) in order to control the seat for decades to come.

A single, standard 18-year term at the high court would restore limits to the most powerful, least accountable branch of American government. Each new justice would be added every other year, and since 9 (justices) x 2 (years) = 18, it’d take 18 years to reach the end of the cycle, hence 18-year terms. Appointments would become predictable exercises, not embarrassing partisan spectacles.

Concerned with constitutionality? Read below (or this or this or this)

First, the Constitution does not expressly grant “life tenure” to Supreme Court justices. Rather, this idea has been derived from the language that judges and justices “shall hold their offices during good behaviour.”

Our proposal does not contravene this requirement, as it would keep justices on the federal bench as “senior justices” for life, either serving on lower federal courts, as many retired justices have done, or filling in on SCOTUS if there’s an unexpected vacancy.

Some may still feel that pushing justices into senior status would be too similar to forcing them into retirement. But “senior status” in the judiciary is a congressional creation, and one that has been almost universally accepted as a constitutionally valid interpretation of Article III.

We do take seriously the charge that this could be seen as a diminution of the position, and so our proposal would not impact current justices – that is, only future justices would be subject to this new regulation on service.

The Supreme Court also includes the Singapore Judicial College, which serves the learning and development needs of judges and judicial officers.

The Supreme Court Bench

The Supreme Court Bench consists of the Chief Justice, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the Appellate Division, Judges of the High Court, Senior Judges, International Judges and Judicial Commissioners.

The Judges and Judicial Commissioners are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Judicial Commissioners are appointed to facilitate the disposal of business in the Supreme Court. They have the powers of a judge and are appointed for a specific period determined by the President.

A person may be appointed a Judge or Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court if they are a "qualified person" based on the definition in Section 2 of the Legal Profession Act, or have been a member of the Singapore Legal Service for at least 10 years, or both.

View the list of judges on the Supreme Court bench.

View the list of international judges who hear cases in the SICC.

View the Judicial Code of Conduct  (PDF, 271 KB) for the Judges and Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court Registry

The Supreme Court Registry comprises the Division for the Court of Appeal and the Appellate Division, the Division for the General Division of the High Court, and the Division for the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).

The Registry is headed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Registrar oversees the Registry’s management of the cases in the Supreme Court and is concurrently the Sheriff of the Supreme Court with responsibility over the execution of various writs and processes issued by the Supreme Court.

The Registrar is assisted by the Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, Divisional Registrars, Deputy Divisional Registrars and Assistant Registrars (collectively, “registrars”). Registrars are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the Chief Justice. They hold concurrent appointments as District Judges or Magistrates.

Registrars are empowered to exercise the authority and jurisdiction of a Judge sitting in chambers in the General Division of the High Court (except such authority and jurisdiction specifically required to be exercised by a Judge in person). They perform judicial roles in hearing, deciding and issuing judgments on a wide range of civil matters, including interlocutory applications (e.g., summary judgment, striking out, further and better particulars, discovery, interrogatories), bankruptcy applications, examination of judgment debtor, taxation, enforcement matters (e.g., issue of warrant of arrest and release of vessel, issue of writs of seizure and sale) and ex parte matters. Registrars also conduct and preside over trials on assessment of damages and taking of accounts.

Registrars also deal with certain criminal matters, such as Criminal Case Disclosure Conferences. Registrars who are concurrently District Judges or Magistrates, may in those capacities, conduct committal hearings under Division 2 of Part X of the Criminal Procedure Code as in force immediately before 17 September 2018.

Working in close partnership with the Supreme Court Bench, registrars ensure the smooth and expeditious resolution of Supreme Court cases and matters docketed to specialised lists  through active case management. To this end, registrars conduct Pre-Trial Conferences and Case Management Conferences for all Supreme Court matters, and also develop systemic enhancements in court procedures and processes through establishing best practices, bespoke guidelines and customised workflows.

Registrars support the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court Bench in advancing key strategic initiatives and judicial reforms to enhance the administration of justice. They are involved in innovative legislative reforms and reviews  customised to the rules, procedures and requirements for matters at all levels in the Supreme  Court. In view of their expertise and experience, registrars participate in and speak at international and local fora on the Singapore judicial system and issues relating to judicial policy and reform and specialised legal areas. They also contribute to the development of the law through editorship or authorship of academic publications and commentaries.  

In addition, the Registry also manages issues relating to the profession (e.g.,  the admission of Advocates and Solicitors, functions of the Disciplinary Tribunal Secretariat and the registration of foreign lawyers in the SICC), as well as superintending and advising on the work of the various sections in the Legal Directorate of the Supreme Court.

View the  list of registrars in the Supreme Court Registry .

Judiciary Administration and Operations

The Chief Executive (Office of the Chief Justice) oversees the administration and operations of the Supreme Court, ensuring the efficient running of the court and provision of effective services to court users.

The directorates include:

Business Development (SICC)

Promotes awareness and usage of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) among legal and business professionals both regionally and internationally, through various marketing and communication platforms and initiatives.

Computer and Information Services Directorate

Ensures the Supreme Court is at the forefront of new IT trends and developments.

Anticipates and implements IT solutions for the organisation while safeguarding the Supreme Court's IT assets from cyber-security threats.

Corporate Services Directorate

Oversees the Supreme Court’s human resources, security, record management, administrative functions and the library.

Finance and Procurement Directorate

Promotes proper stewardship of the Supreme Court’s financial resources, through the implementation of frameworks that promote financial prudence, value-for-money practices and financial accountability.

Infrastructure and Court Services Directorate

Strategises the use of resources and services that best support the hearing process.

It includes the Infrastructure Section, Court Reporting Services Section and Interpreters Section.

Internal Audit

Promotes governance and enables a disciplined approach to evaluating the adequacy of controls, so as to bring about improved internal processes, compliance with government operating procedures and effective risk management practices.

Knowledge Management Office

Advocates knowledge as a strategic asset for the entire Judiciary through the establishment and implementation of common standards and policies in Knowledge Management to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices across the courts.

Legal Directorate

Manages all civil and criminal cases filed in the High Court (including the Singapore International Commercial Court) and the Court of Appeal, in accordance with the applicable legislation, rules and practice directions.

Oversees the inspection and supply of court records and documents, enforcement actions, caseload and judicial statistics and other hearing support and resource management matters relating to court hearings.

Office of Public Affairs

Oversees the planning and execution of public engagement and communication efforts to position the Supreme Court as a forward-thinking and outward-looking organisation with effective public service delivery.

Office of Transformation and Innovation

Coordinates and drives transformative change throughout the entire Judiciary. This includes centralising initiatives within the Judiciary to achieve consistency and enable scaling, as well as devising new and innovative approaches to the Judiciary's work.

This office oversees the Computer and Information Services Directorate.

Strategic Planning, Policy and International Relations Directorate

Advances the Supreme Court’s position as a thought leader in court excellence through policy formulation, strategic planning, international engagement, organisational development and performance management.

Judges and judicial officers in the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Bench

There are currently 29 Judges (including the Chief Justice, 4 Justices of the Court of Appeal and 3 Judges of the Appellate Division), 2 Judicial Commissioners and 3 Senior Judges on the Supreme Court Bench.

What is the term of office of the Supreme Court judge?

What is a Supreme Court term?