# 119-s-5076: Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act of 2026

119-s-5076, Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5076
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5076
- Congress: 119
- Title: Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

This bill would create a **biennial appointment framework** for the Supreme Court. It would also set a nine-justice minimum, require rotating appellate panels drawn from the most recently appointed justices, and clarify Chief Justice succession. - Would fix the Court at a Chief Justice plus at least eight associate justices, set a quorum of six, and limit appellate jurisdiction panels to the nine most recently appointed justices who are available. All justices would preside over original jurisdiction cases. - Would require the President to appoint one justice within the first 120 days of the first and third years of a Presidential term and to fill permanent vacancies so the Court returns to nine justices. Appointments would generally take effect July 1. - Would transfer the Chief Justice's duties to the next-in-precedence associate justice during temporary disability or vacancy and require the first post-vacancy appointment to be to Chief Justice. The bill treats these rules as part of Senate rulemaking and includes a severability clause.

## Cosponsors (10)

- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Biennial Supreme Court Appointment Schedule: mixed, high. This bill would require the President, with Senate advice and consent, to appoint one justice within the first 120 days of the first and third years of a Presidential term. If a nomination is withdrawn or disapproved, the President would have 120 days after that to appoint a replacement. The bill w…
- Who Hears Supreme Court Appeals: mixed, high. This bill would set the Court to a Chief Justice plus at least eight associate justices. It would say six justices make a quorum. It would require that only the nine most recently appointed justices who are available hear appellate cases. It would say all justices hear original-jurisdiction cases.…
- Chief Justice Vacancy and Succession: mixed, medium. This bill would require that when the Chief Justice cannot perform duties or the office is vacant, the associate justice next in precedence who can act would perform the Chief Justice's duties. If the Chief Justice vacancy is permanent, the first appointment under the chapter after that vacancy wou…
- Senate Rule Authority and Severability: mixed, low. This bill would say the section is enacted as an exercise of the Senate's rulemaking power and would be treated as part of the Senate rules. It would say it overrides other Senate rules only where they conflict, but the Senate could still change its rules. The bill would also include a severability…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5076 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5076)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5076 (as of 2026-08-11).