Term Limits

The Constitution as written set no limits on how many terms a President could serve, but George Washington's decision to step down after two terms became a powerful tradition. Franklin Roosevelt broke it by winning third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944, and in response Congress proposed the Twenty-second Amendment, ratified on February 27, 1951, which bars anyone from being elected President more than twice and limits a person who served more than two years of another President's term to one election, for a maximum of 10 years in office.

There are no term limits for members of Congress. In the early 1990s, voters in 23 states adopted limits on their own congressional delegations, but in U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton, decided May 22, 1995, the Supreme Court held that states cannot add qualifications for Congress beyond those in the Constitution, so limits would require a constitutional amendment. A proposed amendment failed to reach the needed two-thirds in the House in 1995. Most states limit their governors, and 16 states limit the terms of state legislators.

Supporters of congressional term limits, who include large majorities in public opinion polls, say they would bring fresh perspectives, reduce the influence of lobbyists, and end career politics, while opponents say they would drain experience, shift power to staff, lobbyists, and the executive branch, and take away voters' right to re-elect effective legislators. Discussion of a third presidential term surfaced in 2025, when the President made remarks about the possibility and a proposed amendment to allow three terms was introduced in the House, though constitutional scholars widely agree the Twenty-second Amendment bars a third election.