Time to Retire

Answering the question of how long one can serve as a judge in the United States is not easy. First, one must distinguish between the federal and state systems. In the federal system, the answer is as long as the judge wants. Federal judges are appointed for life and many serve until they die. In the states, the question is somewhat more complicated. Only a handful of states appoint their judges for life. A majority of states elect their judges by popular vote. Thus, one sits as a judge as long as one can continue to get elected. But a recent Associated Press piece sheds some light on the question of whether states who do not appoint their judges for life force their judges to retire at a certain age. To be honest, I had never given this question much thought. Turns out that over half of the states have laws or constitutional amendments that require their judges to retire at a certain age. In most of these states, 70 is the age of retirement. In Vermont it is 90!