section_path: Composition/Tenure
section_name: Tenure
paragraph_text: Tenure
  
  Article 112 Clause 1 of the constitution and Article 7 of the Constitutional Court Act specify that the term of an associate justice is renewable for six years up to a mandatory retirement age of 70. However, only two justices have attempted to renew their term by reappointment, as doing so can potentially harm the judicial independence of the Constitutional Court. During their term, according to Articles 112 Clause 1 and Clause 2 of the constitution, justices cannot be expelled from office except by impeachment or a sentence of imprisonment, and they are prohibited from joining any political party or participating in political activities to maintain the court's political neutrality.
  
  A sophisticated issue in the court's tenure system is the term length of the court's president, because neither the constitution nor the Constitutional Court Act specifies it. A newly appointed president of the court who is also serving as a justice can have a full six-year term as a justice. However, if the president is appointed during their term as a justice, they can only serve as president for the remainder of their term as a justice.