Which of the following is true about the Supreme Court justices? (5 points) The Congress can remove a justice with the president's consent. The Chief Justice serves for life, and the associate justices have set terms. The Congress has decreased the size of the Supreme Court over time. The Chief Justice and associate justices serve for life or until resignation.
Correct answer: D) The Chief Justice and Associate Justices serve for life or until resignation.
Additional notes:
The approval process for the chief justice is the same as it is for the associate justices. As stated in Article II of the Constitution, the President "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Judges of the Supreme Court."
Chief justices are sworn in by the outgoing chief justices. That's different from associate justices, who are sworn in by the current chief justice or one of the other associate justices.
Lifetime appointments can mean a long time in office. The longest-serving Supreme Court Justice was Michael O. Douglas, who served from April, 1939 to November, 1975 -- that's 3 ½ decades of time on the Court. In the history of the Supreme Court, more than a dozen Justices have served terms of 30 years or more. The average length of service for Supreme Court Justices has been nearly 17 years.
