Appointment years — Appointments occur in odd-numbered Act Years only. Each cycle: Associate Justice (years 1–10), Co-Chief Justice (years 11–12), then Senior Justice.
Equalization — Where "Seats Granted" differs from "Raw Seats," the borrowing mechanism shifts one appointment between adjacent terms to maintain exactly five per presidential term at steady state.
Senior Justice Pool — Justices transitioning to Senior status accumulate as a growing institutional resource: vacancy coverage, Ethics Review Panel service, circuit sitting. Actual pool size will vary with retirement and mortality; values shown assume all justices serve through transition.
Legacy justices — Nine sitting justices retain all existing rights under Section 403(b): continue serving indefinitely under pre-Act tenure, voluntarily elect Senior Justice status at any time, or — for the eight Legacy Associate Justices — opt in to the career structure under Section 403(d) by claiming an available Co-Chief Justice slot, serving a two-year capstone, and transitioning to Senior Justice. The Legacy Chief Justice is governed separately by Section 204(c). Opt-in timing shown is illustrative.
Calendar dates — The illustrative 20XX row assumes enactment during the 2029–2032 presidential term, placing Year 1 in 2033. All internal scheduling is date-independent.