Why Do Justice Stay On The Bench?

Empirical evidence collected and analyzed by political scientists demonstrates that judicial pensions are the most important factor in a Justice’s decision to retire, far more important than the party of the President or which political party has control of the Senate.

-- U.S. Supreme Court scholar David Stras, writing at SCOTUS Blog.

He suggests that the best way to reduce judicial tenure short of a constitutional amendment, would be to restructure judicial pensions, creating a better "Golden Parachute" for judges.