>The whole reason that supreme court justices have lifetime appointments is so they're not subject to political pressures and can do their job without worrying about loosing it. As for their pensions, they only need 10 years provided the sum of the justice's age and years of Supreme Court service totals 80....plus they are required to remain active in the legal community, performing a minimum specified amount of judicial obligations every year (assuming they're in relatively good health with no disabilities). The pay if 250,000 - 260,000 so not a tiny paycheck but not exactly a jackpot of money either considering the work. They're pensions are equal to whatever they were making. Point is I wouldn't call these folks 'political hacks protecting their pensions'.
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Look at what they did to earn the nominations.