POS 301 Topic 7 DQ 1

POS 301 Topic 7 DQ 1

Constitutional provisions should serve the citizens of United States fairly and equally. For instance, the retirement age for judges is a provision that Nelson, Steakley & Montague (2013) observe that it was entrenched in the constitution due to the expected life spans during the periods of the 1960s. Currently, life expectancy has increased to at least 75 years in the US and therefore forcing these judges to retire at seventy is denying them a chance to serve the people on the precepts of age.

Additionally, judges above this age are people with experience being forced to vacate office. While not everyone can serve throughout their life, it is important to raise the recommended age while allowing those who are unable to serve beyond seventy years to retire early and pave the way for newer. In fact, such a provision will reduce the turnover of judges in this state. Other states have already considered raising the retirement age to seventy-five years.

Reference:

Nelson, G., Steakley, M., & Montague, J. (2013). How Courts Change. In Pathways to the US 

 Supreme Court (pp. 157-186). Palgrave Macmillan US.