H.R. 5140: Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-08-31 · Law · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-08-31 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act of 2021

Plain summary

Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act of 2021 This bill establishes staggered, 18-year terms for Supreme Court Justices and limits the Senate's advice and consent authority in relation to the appointment of Justices. Specifically, the bill requires the President to appoint a Supreme Court Justice every two years. If the appointment of a Justice would result in more than nine Justices on the Court, then the nine most junior Justices shall make up the panel of Justices exercising judicial power in cases and controversies. Further, any Justice who has served a total of 18 years is deemed retired from regular service and may continue to serve as a Senior Justice. Senior Justices may continue to perform judicial duties assigned to them by the Chief Justice. However, no Justice appointed before the date of enactment shall be counted towards such panel, nor shall they be required to retire from regular active service. In the event of a vacancy on the Court, the Chief Justice must assign the Justice most recently designated as a Senior Justice to serve on the Court until the appointment of a new Justice. Additionally, the Senate's advice and consent authority is waived if the Senate does not act within 120 days of a Justice's nomination.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] · 17 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Sean Casten (D-IL), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] reported raising $15.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr5140.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr5140 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117