Opinion

It’s Time to Step Down

Supreme Court Judges and U.S Congressional Members need term limits.

Ryan Rolle, A&E Editor

December 1, 2025

Graphic of a ticking clock in front of the senate building made on Canva.

Editor’s Note: This prompt was given at the JEA National Student Media Contest. It was given a superior ranking for the Nashville 2025 contest.

America has been scared of royalty since we packed our things and fled Britain by boat. Ever since our honorable George Washington stepped down from presidency, this country has run on firing our leaders every so often. In my opinion, Supreme Court justices and Congressional members shouldn’t get any special treatment. Supreme Court justices and U.S Congressional members should have term limits, as to abide by this nation’s ideals and to consistently have new perspectives.

Just one question for Supreme Court judges and U.S Congressional members: Who made you king? The three branches of government are supposed to be equal, so why does only one have a limit? Technically, Supreme Court judges have to abide by one rule, but it’s that they can continue to serve “during good behavior.”

Ignoring the fact that this “rule” sounds like a phrase you would say at daycare, I’d argue that some of these leaders are getting too old to correctly do their job. Senator Chuck Grassley is still hanging out as Senator of Iowa at 92 – someone send that man on a vacation!

Grassley has served since 1975. I can’t even begin to list all of the inventions that have been produced since he got in office. The mobile phone and electric car are two that easily come to mind. Just like it’s important to have innovation in technology, it’s crucial to consistently cycle out members of government to benefit our society.

Not only do I assume that long-serving Congressional members and Supreme Court judges are weirdly power hungry, I also assume that over time they become outdated. If government officials make decisions with the same perspectives on every debate, we will lose the variety that America was built on.

I strongly believe that Supreme Court justices and Congressional members need term limits, to practice what we preach and give power to the powerless and to hear new perspectives to perpetuate frequent change. Also, with evolving science, “unlimited terms” for the House of Representatives and the U.S Senate gives a lot more leg room than I’m comfortable with. If we don’t prevent it, we will all be celebrating a senator’s 200th anniversary of being in office!

term limits

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About the Contributors

Ryan Rolle, A&E Editor

Ryan Rolle is a senior at Robinson and is the A&E editor for the Knight Writers. This is her third year on staff. Rolle decided to join Knight Writers, as she always adored reading and writing and wanted to communicate her thoughts from pop culture to school issues, while also deepening her involvement with the school. “I joined when I was a sophomore and I decided to join because I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing and I thought it would be fun to be able to voice my opinion to the school while getting involved in something academic,” Rolle said. Outside of the school newspaper, you can likely find Rolle spending her free time on the water, rowing for the varsity team at the Tampa Bay rowing club. “Two of my closest friends have been rowing since sixth grade and our team is small, so they were asking new girls to come out and try it. So, my sophomore year I decided to give it a try, and I loved and have been doing it ever since,” Rolle said. Whenever she’s not rowing, Rolle greatly enjoys using her time making matcha and listening to various genres of music, with her tastes changing depending on the time of year. “I listen to different music genres throughout the seasons but right now, since it’s fall, I’m listening to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead,” Rolle said. This being her third year on the Knight Writers staff, Rolle has formed many unforgettable experiences but of all the memories, her favorite has to be when she attended the Florida Scholastic Press Association competition last year in Orlando. “We got to stay near the SeaWorld for a weekend, and we just had so much fun entering competitions and hanging around the hotel,” Rolle said. Part of the class of 2026, Rolle plans to attend college after high school either furthering her passion in journalism by majoring in biology or furthering her passion in journalism by majoring in creative writing. “My biggest dream ever would be to get into Dartmouth and major in biology or journalism/creative writing with a minor in Spanish, then go on to become an orthodontist,” Rolle said. (Profile by Avani Madabhushanam)

Anika Sanka, Content Co-Editor-in-Chief

Anika Sanka is a senior at Robinson High School and is the co-editor-in-chief (EIC) of the Knight Writers. This is her third year on staff. In her freshman year, even though she wanted to be on newspaper, she chose to do an AP elective. The following year, she joined the newspaper after being recommended to it by her cousin, Vikram Sambasivan, a former EIC of the Knight Writers. “I really wanted to do an elective that wasn’t an AP just to boost my GPA, but something I could actually do something in. I also wanted to improve my writing,” Sanka said. Being an EIC this year, Sanka has many goals for the newspaper as a whole. One of them is to earn an All-Florida award from the Florida Scholastic Press Association. “I think we are very capable of it. I’m honestly so happy I am EIC now,” Sanka said. “I now have the position and ability to implement things so we can be a really be a well-structured newspaper and win these awards.” Outside of newspaper, Sanka enjoys spending time playing sports. She is on the varsity track team, but she also likes to find time to play other sports as well. “In middle school, I did rowing for a while; that was fun, but I just wasn’t the best at it. I always found my way back to running. I love track. I love our community, and I love the team. I’ve also been dancing for a while. I like doing sports and activities like this just for fun,” Sanka said. When Sanka isn’t running or working, she enjoys spending free time watching 2000s movies with friends. In addition, Sanka doesn’t have a particular favorite music artist, but her favorite music genres are pop, rock and indie. “[My favorite movie is] ‘She’s the Man.’ It’s a 2000s movie, and it has Amanda Bines in it, and I just love her movies. The 2000s are just so good, and they are comfort movies,” she said. Being a senior, Sanka wants to go to Emory University in Atlanta or the University of Florida. She wants to study law or journalism “It [Emory University] is beautiful, it has nature, and cool extracurriculars. I want to go into law or journalism; something in the English and communications field. They have cool political science programs which I want to go into,” Sanka said. (Profile by Allison Bartlett)