This is a proposed amendment to the Constitution.
1. The number of justices on the Supreme Court shall be limited to fifteen.
2. Terms of Supreme Court justices shall not exceed eighteen years, but where a justice has been appointed to initially complete the increased complement, the terms of the first two to be so confirmed shall expire nine years thereafter, the terms of the second two to be so confirmed shall expire fifteen years thereafter, and the terms of the last two to be so confirmed shall expire in eighteen years. If the term of any justice currently serving will have exceeded the limitations set forth herein as of the date of ratification of this Amendment, that justice shall retire and a new justice shall be appointed whose term will expire in twelve years.
3. Terms of justices of the lesser courts shall not exceed twelve years.
4. No more than two Supreme Court justices may be absent from any opinion.
5. A three-fifths majority of the entire Senate is required for confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice.
6. The Senate shall either confirm or disapprove Supreme Court appointments within ninety days of their presentment, and all lesser judiciary appointments within one hundred eighty days of their presentment.
7. The Supreme Court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over cases between the United States and a State, and shall appoint a Special Master to compel the behavior of the parties thereto.
8. The Supreme Court and all lesser courts shall timely hear all cases and petitions rightfully brought before them, but in no event shall the hearing of a case or petition be delayed in a lesser court for longer than one hundred twenty days, or the longest historical delay of that court, whichever is less. Where the Supreme Court is exercising appellate jurisdiction, they shall hear the cases and petitions brought before them within one year, and where they are exercising original jurisdiction, they shall hear the cases and petitions within ninety days.
9. No appointee to any position for which the advice and consent of the Senate is required shall be confirmed absent his providing testimony before the Senate, whose members are comprised of the same members who shall be casting their votes therefor, or absent an individual vote of a majority of the entire Senate, which shall be duly recorded in its archives, together with the names of each Senator who shall have voted and whether that Senator shall have voted yea, nay, or abstain.
10. No appointee to any position for which the advice and consent of the Senate is required, having been confirmed, shall retain his or her office if conclusive evidence of perjured testimony, material misrepresentations, or willful concealment of substantive documents are subsequently disclosed, but shall be immediately removed from office upon a three-fifths majority of the entire Senate.
11. Recess appointments of Supreme Court Justices, or judges of the lesser courts, by the President are prohibited.
12. No President of the United States may appoint more than two associate justices, or a combination of a Chief Justice and one associate justice, to the Supreme Court during his entire tenure.
13. If more vacancies to the Supreme Court occur during the tenure of a President than he is permitted to fill under this Amendment, including new positions authorized herein, the Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate shall each present two candidates for consideration by the Senate, and within ninety days of such vacancy, one of those under consideration shall be chosen to fill the vacancy upon approval of three-fifths of the entire Senate. No candidate thus submitted may be considered for concurrent vacancies that may occur.
14. No person may be appointed to the Supreme Court who shall have served in Congress or the legislature of a State, or as an attorney or solicitor for the United States Department of Justice, or as counsel to the White House, or as an Attorney General of one of the several States, or who shall not have attained the age of fifty, or who has not been ten years a judge in the United States.
15. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment by the several States, as provided in the Constitution.
Revised 7/23/2010: Changed title of page clarified a requirement to confirm SCOTUS appointees within ninety days.
Revised 8/2/2010: Increased number of Supreme Court justices to fifteen. Reduced proposed length of judiciary terms, and provided for staggered retirements of the first of the additional justices. Added provision to prohibit any opinion where more than two justices are absent. Added provision to require the courts to hear all cases presented, in a timely fashion. Added provision to assign exclusive jurisdiction to the Supreme Court in cases between the United States and a State. Restricted candidates to a single vacancy, in case of concurrent vacancies. Added provision to assure only qualified judges are appointed to the Supreme Court, and to eliminate conflicts of interest between the Executive and Legislative branches.
Revised 9/3/2010: Added language to require individual recorded votes and individual testimony before the Senate for all nominations.
Revise 1/12/2011: Added age requirement for being fifty years old to be eligible for SCOTUS. Added provision for terms of justices who are appointed due to forced retirements at ratification.
