Abstract
A vacancy to be filled on the Supreme Court is a relatively rare event; continuity of service is the norm. In this paper I determine the circumstances under which justices decide to retire and, by extension, why they remain on the bench. Using a discrete-time method I find that political considerations do not appear to matter. Justices are more likely to retire when they are physically infirm and have qualified for pension benefits. But the more justices participate in the Court's activity, as evidenced by the number of opinions or dissents they write, the less likely they are to leave voluntarily.
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Squire, P. Politics and personal factors in retirement from the United States Supreme Court. Polit Behav 10, 180–190 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991413
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991413