Question

Which official serves for life, unless removed from office by impeachment? A. member of the U.S. House B. president C. Supreme Court justice D. U.S. senator

Short answer

C. Supreme Court justice

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Question

Identify which position from the given options is a lifetime appointment unless impeachment occurs.

Review Each Option

Examine each official and their term lengths: A. Members of the U.S. House serve 2-year terms. B. The President serves a 4-year term with a limit of two terms. C. Supreme Court Justices serve for life unless impeached. D. U.S. Senators serve 6-year terms.

Identify the Lifetime Appointment

Determine which option among the given officials has a lifetime appointment: Only Supreme Court Justices hold their position for life unless they are impeached.

Key concepts

Supreme Court Justices and Lifetime Appointment

Supreme Court Justices in the United States are appointed to serve for life. This means that once they are confirmed and sworn in, they can stay in their position until they choose to retire, resign, or pass away. The idea behind this lifetime appointment is to ensure that justices are not influenced by political pressure or the need to secure re-election. This independence helps them make decisions based merely on the law and constitution.
The only way to remove a Supreme Court Justice from office is through impeachment, which is a rare and complex process.

Understanding Impeachment

Impeachment is a process used to charge, try, and remove public officials for misconduct. It's a two-step process that includes:

• The House of Representatives bringing charges against the official (impeachment).
• The Senate conducting a trial and voting on whether to remove the official from office.

For a Supreme Court Justice to be removed, a majority in the House must vote to impeach, and then two-thirds of the Senate must vote to convict. Impeachment ensures there is a system of checks and balances, holding justices accountable for their actions if they abuse their power or engage in unlawful behavior.

U.S. Government Terms

Different positions within the U.S. government have varied lengths of terms of service. Here are the key details:

• Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve 2-year terms. They must run for re-election every two years to stay in office.
• The President serves a 4-year term and can be re-elected for one additional term, making a maximum of 8 years in office.
• U.S. Senators serve 6-year terms. Their elections are staggered so that approximately one-third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years.

These term limits are designed to balance continuity and the introduction of new ideas and leadership. It also allows the electorate to periodically review and judge their representatives' performance.