Lifetime Appointments

The Washington Post's blog "The Fix" recently had a post informing its readers that the average age of the U.S. Supreme is nearing its record high. The post has some interesting tidbits:

• The average when Justices retire is around 78
• Three Justices are older than 78
• The average age of the Court at the moment is 69

This is good opportunity to remind students that judges in the U.S. federal court system are appointed for life, whereas judges in England have a mandatory retirement age. The majority of states in the United States also require their judges to retire after reaching a certain age.