Skip to content
CivicsWise
Menu

Question 56 of 128 · American Government · System of Government

Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?

Accepted answers

  • To be independent (of politics)
  • To limit outside (political) influence

Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.

Why this is the answer

Justices serve for life so that they can decide cases on the law rather than on politics. A judge who had to win the next election, or please the President who might reappoint them, would feel pressure to rule the popular way. Lifetime tenure removes that pressure: once confirmed, a justice owes nothing to anyone and can decide according to the Constitution alone. Both official answers say this: to be independent of politics, or to limit outside influence. Memory hook: no elections, no pressure.