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60-693: The South Bound Railroad was chartered by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1882 and by the Georgia Legislature in 1888. The 136-mile line from Savannah, Georgia , to Columbia, South Carolina , opened in 1891. The following year it was leased to the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad . By the end of the decade, the South Bound Railroad had reached Camden, South Carolina , to meet

120-437: A 5–4 vote, that state governments cannot limit the terms of members of the national government. Where rotation in the legislative branch has withstood court challenges, term limits continue to garner popular support. As of 2002, the advocacy group " U.S. Term Limits " found that in the seventeen states where state legislators served in rotation, public support for term limits ranged from 60 to 78 percent. Term limits at

180-504: A delegate for more than three years in any term of six years." On October 2, 1789, the Continental Congress appointed a committee of thirteen to examine forms of government for the impending union of the states. Among the proposals was that from the state of Virginia , written by Thomas Jefferson , urging a limitation of tenure, "to prevent every danger which might arise to American freedom by continuing too long in office

240-572: A full term in office before surrendering to the Union . The practice of nomination rotation for the House of Representatives began to decline after the Civil War. It took a generation or so before the direct primary system , civil service reforms, and the ethic of professionalism worked to eliminate rotation in office as a common political practice. By the turn of the 20th century the era of incumbency

300-436: A majority of Americans were largely unaware of a proposal to impose a term limit of 18 years, as 82% reported they had heard little or nothing at all. Notwithstanding a lack of awareness, 52% of Americans approved of limiting terms to 18 years, while 35% disapproved. When asked how old is too old for a Supreme Court judge to serve if he seems healthy, 48% said "no limit as long as he is healthy", while 31% agreed that anyone over

360-488: A national constitutional convention be used to accomplish the amendment, since the Congress would be unlikely to propose and adopt any amendment that limits its own power. Some state legislators have also expressed their opinions on term limits. It is confirmed that in the following five states—and there may be others—state lawmakers approved resolutions asking Congress to propose a federal constitutional amendment to limit

420-406: A new meaning in a modern context. Changes in medical care have markedly raised life expectancy and therefore have allowed justices to serve for longer than ever before. Steven G. Calabresi and James Lindgren , professors of law at Northwestern University , argued that because vacancies in the court are occurring with less frequency and justices served on average 26.1 years between 1971 and 2006,

480-406: A period when seventeen states enacted term limits through state legislation or state constitutional amendments. Many of the laws enacted limited terms for both the state legislature and in the state's delegation to Congress. As they pertain to Congress, these laws were struck down as unconstitutional by U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995), in which the court ruled, on

540-754: A result, the legislature still devotes considerable time to local matters, and county legislative delegations still handle many matters that are handled by county governments in the rest of the country. There are 124 members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, who are elected every two years, and the South Carolina Senate has 46 members, elected every four years concurrent to the presidential election. For both houses, there are no term limits . The General Assembly meets in joint session to elect judges, with all 170 members having an equal vote in such elections. The main role of

600-472: A third term. Washington wanted to retire when his first term ended in 1792, but all his advisors begged him to stand for re-election. By 1796, however, he insisted on retiring, as he felt exhausted and disgusted by virulent personal attacks on his integrity. His Farewell Address very briefly mentioned why he would not run for a third term and goes on to give a great deal of political advice, but it does not mention term limits. After his death, his refusal to run

660-420: A three-term limit; one year later, he was elected to a third term. The two-term limit was reinstated after a referendum in 2010. Research studies have shown that legislative term limits increase legislative polarization, reduce the legislative skills of politicians, reduce the legislative productivity of politicians, weaken legislatures vis-à-vis the executive, and reduce voter turnout. Parties respond to

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720-504: The American Revolution and prior to that, to the democracies and republics of antiquity . The Council of 500 in ancient Athens rotated its entire membership annually, as did the ephorate in ancient Sparta . The ancient Roman Republic featured a system of elected magistrates — tribunes of the plebs , aediles , quaestors , praetors , and consuls — who served a single term of one year, with re-election to

780-903: The Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad . In late 1899, stockholders of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad met in Raleigh, to consider the merger of the Raleigh and Gaston with the South Bound Railroad, along with the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad , the Durham and Northern Railway , the Roanoke and Tar River Railroad , the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad , the Louisburg Railroad , the Carolina Central Railroad ,

840-477: The Confederate States of America adopted a six-year term for their president and vice president and barred the president from seeking re-election. That innovation was endorsed by many American politicians after the Civil War, most notably by Rutherford B. Hayes in his inaugural address. Ulysses Grant was urged to run for a third term in 1876, but he refused. He did try to win the 1880 nomination but

900-801: The Northern Mariana Islands , and Oklahoma . Former governor of California Jerry Brown , however, served four non-consecutive terms because his first two terms were before limits were passed in California, and the limits did not apply to individuals' prior terms . The governors of New Hampshire and Vermont may serve unlimited two-year terms. The governors (or equivalent) in the following states, district, and territory may serve unlimited four-year terms: Connecticut , Idaho , Illinois , Iowa , Massachusetts , Minnesota , New York , Texas , Utah , Washington , Wisconsin , District of Columbia , and Puerto Rico . The governor of Utah

960-630: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad . The South Bound was merged into the Seaboard in 1901. South Carolina General Assembly Minority Minority The South Carolina General Assembly , also called the South Carolina Legislature , is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina . The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and

1020-537: The U.S. Virgin Islands , and by statute in American Samoa . Uniquely, Virginia prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms, although former governors are eligible to serve again as governor after a specified period (currently, four years) out of office. Several other states formerly had this "no succession" rule (which was part of Virginia's original constitution in 1776), but all have eliminated

1080-475: The U.S. Virgin Islands . Equivalently, the governors of Indiana and Oregon are limited to serving 8 out of any 12 years. Conversely, the governors of Montana and Wyoming are limited to two terms, serving 8 out of any 16 years. Finally, the governors of the following states and territory are limited to two terms during their respective lifetime: Arkansas , California , Delaware , Michigan , Mississippi , Missouri , Nevada , North Dakota ,

1140-417: The federal constitution convention at Philadelphia omitted mandatory term limits from the U.S. Constitution of 1789. At the convention, some delegates spoke passionately against term limits such as Rufus King , who said "that he who has proved himself to be most fit for an Office, ought not to be excluded by the constitution from holding it." The Electoral College , it was believed by some delegates at

1200-581: The state constitution made no provision for local government. The " one man, one vote " provision of Reynolds v. Sims caused district lines to cross county lines, causing legislators to be on multiple county councils. This led to the passage of the Home Rule Act of 1975, which created county councils that were independent of the General Assembly. However, the General Assembly still retains considerable authority over local government. As

1260-591: The state supreme courts in those states: in Massachusetts, Washington and Wyoming, the court ruled that term limits could not be enacted by statute, and could only be enacted by an amendment to the state constitution; the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the Oregon initiative establishing term limits violated the single-subject rule . Some localities impose term limits for local office. Among

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1320-570: The upper South Carolina Senate . All together, the General Assembly consists of 170 members. The legislature convenes at the State House in Columbia . Prior to the 1964 federal Reynolds v. Sims decision by the U.S. Supreme Court , each county doubled as a legislative district, with each county electing one senator and at least one representative. Moreover, each county's General Assembly delegation also doubled as its county council , as

1380-724: The "Constitution doesn't even mention life tenure; it merely requires that justices serve during ‘good behavior'." The idea was endorsed among Judges, as John Roberts supported term limits before he was appointed to the Supreme Court as chief justice. Calabresi, Lindgren, and Carrington have also proposed that when justices have served out their proposed 18-year term they should be able to sit on other Federal Courts until retirement, death, or removal. Fairleigh Dickinson University 's PublicMind Poll measured American voters' attitudes towards various proposed Supreme Court reforms, including implementing term limits. The 2010 poll found that

1440-534: The "efficacy of the democratic check that the appointment process provides on the Court's membership" is reduced. There have been several similar proposals to implement term limits for the nation's highest court, including Professor of Law at Duke University Paul Carrington's "Supreme Court Renewal Act of 2005." Many of the proposals center around a term limit for justices that would be 10, 18 years to 25 years in length. (Larry Sabato, Professor of Political Science at

1500-520: The 1780s, about half the states provided term limits for governors. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 discussed the issue and decided not to institute presidential term limits. "The matter was fairly discussed in the Convention," Washington wrote in 1788, "and to my full convictions <...> I can see no propriety in precluding ourselves from the services of any man, who on some great emergency shall be deemed universally, most capable of serving

1560-649: The 20 most populous U.S. cities: A two-term limit was imposed on New York City Council members and citywide elected officials (except for district attorneys ) in New York City after a 1993 referendum (see the Charter of the City of New York, § 1138). On November 3, 2008, however, when Michael Bloomberg was in his second term of mayor , the City Council approved the extension of the two-term limit to

1620-596: The Constitution, as "most highly and dangerously oligarchic ." Both Jefferson and George Mason advised limits on re-election to the Senate and to the Presidency, because, said Mason, "nothing is so essential to the preservation of a Republican government as a periodic rotation." The historian Mercy Otis Warren warned that "there is no provision for a rotation, nor anything to prevent the perpetuity of office in

1680-830: The Palmetto Railroad, the Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad , the Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway , the Seaboard Air Line Belt Railroad , the Georgia and Alabama Railroad , the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad , the Georgia and Alabama Terminal Company , the Logansville and Lawrenceville Railroad , the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad and the Pittsboro Railroad . The resulting company became known as

1740-660: The Pennsylvania constitution, but also because it included, virtually unchanged, Franklin's earlier proposals on executive rotation. Pennsylvania's plural executive was composed of twelve citizens elected for the term of three years, followed by a mandatory vacation of four years. The Articles of Confederation , adopted in 1781, established term limits for the delegates of the Continental Congress , mandating in Article V that "no person shall be capable of being

1800-545: The Public," even after serving two terms. The Constitution, Washington explained, retained sufficient checks against political corruption and stagnant leadership without a presidential term limits provision. Jefferson, however, strongly endorsed a policy of term limits. He rejected calls from supporters that he run for a third term in 1808, telling several state legislatures in 1807-1808 that he needed to support "the sound precedent set by [his] illustrious predecessor." In 1861,

1860-504: The South Carolina General Assembly is to pass laws "as the common good may require." In order for a bill to become law, both the Senate and House of Representatives must vote to pass the bill by a simple majority. Then the bill must be sent to the governor. If the governor vetoes the bill, both houses can either sustain the veto or override the veto. Veto overrides require a two-thirds majority. Once he receives

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1920-474: The University of Virginia, suggested between 15 and 18 years.) The staggered term limits of 18 years proposed by Calebresi & Lindgren (2006) and Carrington & Cramton (2005) would allow for a new appointment to the Court every two years, which in effect would allow every president at least two appointments. Carrington has argued that such a measure would not require a constitutional amendment as

1980-427: The age of 70 is too old. Some state lawmakers have officially expressed to Congress a desire for a federal constitutional amendment to limit terms of Supreme Court justices as well as of judges of federal courts below the Supreme Court level. While there might be others, below are three known examples: Term limits for state officials have existed since colonial times. The Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties of 1682, and

2040-500: The ancient republic. Many of the founders of the United States were educated in the classics, and quite familiar with rotation in the office during antiquity. The debates of that day reveal a desire to study and profit from the object lessons offered by ancient democracy. Prior to independence , several colonies had already experimented with term limits. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut of 1639, for example, prohibited

2100-504: The bill, if the governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill, it becomes law after five days, Sundays excluded. According to the South Carolina Constitution, no person may serve as a senator who: According to the South Carolina Constitution, no person may serve as a representative who: Term limits in the United States [REDACTED] [REDACTED] In the United States, term limits restrict

2160-443: The colonial frame of government of the same year, both authored by William Penn , provided for triennial rotation of the provincial council —the upper house of the colonial legislature. The Delaware Constitution of 1776 limited the governor to a single three-year term; currently, the governor of Delaware can serve two four-year terms. Governors of thirty-seven states and four territories are subject to various term limits, while

2220-648: The colonial governor from serving consecutive terms by setting terms at one year's length, and holding "that no person be chosen Governor above once in two years." Shortly after independence, the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 set maximum service in the Pennsylvania General Assembly at "four years in seven." Benjamin Franklin 's influence is seen not only in that he chaired the constitutional convention which drafted

2280-421: The constitutional authority to enact these limits. In May 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton , 514 U.S. 779 (1995), that states cannot impose term limits upon their federal representatives or senators . In the 1994 U.S. elections , part of the " Contract With America " Republican platform included legislation for term limits in Congress. After winning

2340-413: The convention, could have a role to play in limiting unfit officers from continuing. When the states ratified the Constitution (1787–1788), several leading statesmen regarded the lack of mandatory limits to tenure as a dangerous defect, especially, they thought, as regards the presidency and the Senate. Richard Henry Lee viewed the absence of legal limits to tenure, together with certain other features of

2400-407: The federal congressional delegations) remain in force, however, in fifteen states. In 2007, Larry J. Sabato revived the debate over term limits by arguing in A More Perfect Constitution that the success and popularity of term limits at the state level suggests that they should be adopted at the federal level as well. He specifically put forth the idea of congressional term limits and suggested

2460-498: The federal level are restricted to the executive branch and some agencies. Judicial appointments at the federal level are made for life and are not subject to election or to term limits. The U.S. Congress remains (since the Thornton decision of 1995) without electoral limits. George Washington 's decision in 1796 not to run for a third term has often been given credit as the start of a tradition that no president should ever run for

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2520-518: The governors of thirteen states, Puerto Rico , and the mayor of Washington, D.C. , may serve an unlimited number of terms. Each state's gubernatorial term limits are prescribed by its state constitution , with the exception of Wyoming , whose limits are found in its statutes. Territorial term limits are prescribed by its constitution in the Northern Mariana Islands , the Organic Acts in Guam and

2580-408: The incumbent president, Harry S. Truman . However, Truman declined to seek re-election to a third term in 1952. Reformers during the early 1990s used the initiative and referendum to put congressional term limits on the ballot in 24 states. Voters in eight of these states approved the congressional term limits by an average electoral margin of two to one. It was an open question whether states had

2640-485: The largest private organization pushing for congressional term limits. The bill got only a bare majority (227–204), falling short of the two-thirds majority (290) needed for constitutional amendments. Three other term limit amendment bills failed to get more than 200 votes. Defeated in Congress and overridden by the Supreme Court, the federal term limit movement was brought to a halt. The term limits intended simultaneously to reform state legislatures (as distinguished from

2700-451: The majority, a Republican congressman brought a constitutional amendment to the House floor that proposed limiting members of the Senate to two six-year terms and members of the House to six two-year terms. However, this rate of rotation was so slow (the life-tenured Supreme Court averages about 16 years) that the congressional version of term limits garnered little support among the populist backers of term limits, including U.S. Term Limits ,

2760-520: The members of the Continental Congress." The committee made recommendations, which as regards congressional term limits were incorporated unchanged into the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789). The fifth Article stated that "no person shall be capable of being a delegate [to the continental congress] for more than three years in any term of six years." In contrast to the Articles of Confederation,

2820-601: The number of terms of office an officeholder may serve. At the federal level, the president of the United States can serve a maximum of two four-year terms, limited by the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution . Some state government offices are also term-limited, including executive , legislative , and judicial offices. Term limits are also referred to as rotation in office . Term limits date back to

2880-479: The number of terms which members of Congress may serve: Legal scholars have discussed whether or not to impose term limits on the Supreme Court of the United States. Currently, Supreme Court justices are appointed for life "during good behavior." A sentiment has developed, among certain scholars, that the Supreme Court may not be accountable in a way that is most in line with the spirit of checks and balances . Equally, scholars have argued that life tenure has taken on

2940-642: The prohibition except Virginia by 2000 (including Mississippi , which repealed it in 1986, and Kentucky , which repealed it in 1992). The governors of the following states and territories are limited to two consecutive terms, but are eligible to run again after four years out of office: Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Georgia , Hawaii , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Nebraska , New Jersey , New Mexico , North Carolina , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , West Virginia , American Samoa , Guam , and

3000-500: The same magistracy forbidden for ten years (see cursus honorum ) . According to historian Garrett Fagan , office holding in the Roman Republic was based on "limited tenure of office" which ensured that "authority circulated frequently", helping to prevent corruption . An additional benefit of the cursus honorum or run of offices was to bring the "most experienced" politicians to the upper echelons of power-holding in

3060-436: The same hands for life; which by a little well-timed bribery, will probably be done." Korzi (2013) says George Washington did not set the informal precedent for a two-term limit for the Presidency. He only meant he was too worn out to personally continue in office. It was Thomas Jefferson who made it a principle in 1808. He made many statements calling for term limits in one form or another. The two-term limit tradition

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3120-568: Was re-elected in 1944 for a fourth term amidst the United States' engagement in World War II but died shortly afterwards in office. The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1951, formally establishing in law the two-term limit—although it did not apply to the incumbent Harry S. Truman , Franklin Roosevelt's successor. Truman declined to run for a third term in 1952. The fact that "perpetuity in office"

3180-445: Was coming into full swing. A total of eight presidents served two full terms and declined a third. Three presidents served one full term and refused a second. After World War II , however, an officeholder class had developed to the point that congressional tenure rivaled that of the U.S. Supreme Court , where tenure is for life. A movement in favor of term limits took hold in the early 1990s, and reached its apex in 1992 to 1994,

3240-505: Was defeated in part because of popular anti-third-term sentiment. Theodore Roosevelt had already served over seven years and in 1912, after a four-year hiatus, ran for a third term. He was criticized for doing so, and attempted assassin John Schrank stated that his motivation for shooting Roosevelt was preventing a third term. The 1912 election was ultimately won by Woodrow Wilson . Franklin D. Roosevelt (president, 1933–1945)

3300-431: Was enacted in 1990, and the most recent was enacted in 2022. Term limits only went into effect years after they were enacted. Legislative term limits have been repealed or overturned in six states. Term limits for state legislatures were adopted by Idaho and Utah in 1994, but repealed by their respective legislatures in 2002 (Idaho) and 2003 (Utah). Term limits adopted in four states were struck down as unconstitutional by

3360-424: Was explained in terms of a "no-third-tradition." Crockett (2008) argues, "The argument for term limits has a solid and respectable pedigree. Contrary to popular belief, however, that pedigree does not begin with George Washington." The second president, John Adams , lost re-election in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson . Jefferson himself declined re-election to a third term, attributing the precedent to Washington. In

3420-471: Was maintained unofficially for 132 years. It was unsuccessfully challenged by Ulysses Grant in 1880 , Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 , and Woodrow Wilson in 1920 . Franklin D. Roosevelt successfully ran for a third term in 1940 , citing the outbreak of World War II . The two Roosevelts are the only presidents to run for a third term in a general election; Grant and Wilson aimed to do so but failed to gain their parties' nominations. Franklin Roosevelt

3480-669: Was not approached until the 20th century is due in part to the influence of rotation in office as a popular 19th-century concept. "Ideas are, in truth, forces," and rotation in office enjoyed such normative support, especially at the local level, that it altered political reality. During the Civil War , the Constitution of the Confederate States limited its president to a single six-year term. Only Jefferson Davis served as Confederate president, but he did not complete

3540-473: Was previously limited to serving three terms, but all term limit laws have since been repealed by the legislature. In 2022, voters in North Dakota approved a constitutional amendment that limits the governor to no more than two four-year terms. The amendment only applies to individuals elected after 2023. Seventeen state legislatures currently have term limits. The earliest state legislative term limit

3600-549: Was the only president to be elected more than twice, having won a third term in 1940 and a fourth term in 1944 (though he died in office three months into his fourth term). This gave rise to a successful move to formalize the traditional two-term limit by amending the U.S. Constitution . As ratified in 1951, the Twenty-Second Amendment provides that "no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice." The new amendment explicitly did not apply to

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