The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom constitute a quorum.[1][2] Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution grants plenary power to the president of the United States to nominate, and with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, appoint justices to the Supreme Court; justices have life tenure.[3]
Background
editThe Supreme Court was created by Article III of the United States Constitution, which stipulates that the "judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court,"[4] and was organized by the 1st United States Congress. Through the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress specified the Court's original and appellate jurisdiction, created thirteen judicial districts, and fixed the number of justices at six (one chief justice and five associate justices).[5][6]
Since 1789, Congress has occasionally altered the size of the Supreme Court, historically in response to the country's own expansion in size. An 1801 act would have decreased the Court's size to five members upon its next vacancy. However, an 1802 act negated the effects of the 1801 act upon the Court before any such vacancy occurred, maintaining the Court's size at six members. Later legislation increased its size to seven members in 1807, to nine in 1837, and to ten in 1863. An 1866 act was to have reduced the Court's size from ten members to seven upon its next three vacancies, and two vacancies did occur during this period. However, before a third vacancy occurred, the Judiciary Act of 1869 intervened, restoring the Court's size to nine members, where it has remained ever since.[7]
While the justices of the Supreme Court are appointed for life, many have retired or resigned. Beginning in the early 20th century, many justices who left the Court voluntarily did so by retiring from the Court without leaving the federal judiciary altogether. A retired justice, according to the United States Code, is no longer a member of the Supreme Court, but remains eligible to serve by designation as a judge of a U.S. Court of Appeals or District Court, and many retired justices have served in these capacities. Historically, the average length of service on the Court has been less than 15 years. However, since 1970 the average length of service has increased to about 26 years.[8]
List of justices
editSince the Supreme Court was established in 1789, 116 people have served on the Court. The length of service on the Court for the 107 non-incumbent justices ranges from William O. Douglas's 36 years, 209 days to John Rutledge's 1 year, 18 days as associate justice and, separated by a period of years off the Court, his 138 days as chief justice. As of November 15, 2024, the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas's 33 years, 23 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson's 2 years, 138 days. Five individuals, who were confirmed for associate justice, were later appointed chief justice separately: John Rutledge,[a] Edward Douglass White,[b] Charles Evans Hughes,[a] Harlan F. Stone[b] and William Rehnquist.[b] While listed twice, each of them has been assigned only one index number. The justices of the Supreme Court are:[9][10]
| Justice | State[c] | Position | Succeeded | Date confirmed (Vote) |
Tenure | Tenure length[d] | Nominated by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg)
|
John Jay (1745–1829) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
October 19, 1789 – June 29, 1795 (Resigned) |
5 years, 253 days | George Washington |
| 2 | 
|
John Rutledge (1739–1800) |
SC | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 15, 1790[e] – March 5, 1791 (Resigned) |
1 year, 18 days | |
| 3 | 
|
William Cushing (1732–1810) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 2, 1790[e] – September 13, 1810 (Died) |
20 years, 223 days | |
| 4 | 
|
James Wilson (1742–1798) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
October 5, 1789[e] – August 21, 1798 (Died) |
8 years, 320 days | |
| 5 | .jpg)
|
John Blair (1732–1800) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 2, 1790[e] – October 25, 1795 (Resigned) |
5 years, 265 days | |
| 6 | 
|
James Iredell (1751–1799) |
NC | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | February 10, 1790 (Acclamation) |
May 12, 1790 – October 20, 1799 (Died) |
9 years, 161 days | |
| 7 | .jpeg)
|
Thomas Johnson (1732–1819) |
MD | Associate Justice |
J. Rutledge | November 7, 1791 (Acclamation) |
September 19, 1791[f] – January 16, 1793 (Resigned) |
1 year, 119 days | |
| 8 | 
|
William Paterson (1745–1806) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
T. Johnson | March 4, 1793 (Acclamation) |
March 11, 1793 – September 9, 1806 (Died) |
13 years, 181 days | |
| 2 |
|
John Rutledge (1739–1800) |
SC | Chief Justice |
Jay | December 15, 1795 (10–14)[g] |
August 12, 1795[f] – December 15, 1795 (Resigned, nomination having been rejected) |
138 days | |
| 9 | 
|
Samuel Chase[h] (1741–1811) |
MD | Associate Justice |
Blair | January 27, 1796 (Acclamation) |
February 4, 1796 – June 19, 1811 (Died) |
15 years, 135 days | |
| 10 | 
|
Oliver Ellsworth (1745–1807) |
CT | Chief Justice |
J. Rutledge | March 4, 1796 (21–1) |
March 8, 1796 – December 15, 1800 (Resigned) |
4 years, 282 days | |
| 11 | 
|
Bushrod Washington (1762–1829) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Wilson | December 20, 1798 (Acclamation) |
November 9, 1798[f] – November 26, 1829 (Died) |
31 years, 17 days | John Adams |
| 12 | 
|
Alfred Moore (1755–1810) |
NC | Associate Justice |
Iredell | December 9, 1799 (Acclamation) |
April 21, 1800 – January 26, 1804 (Resigned) |
3 years, 280 days | |
| 13 | 
|
John Marshall (1755–1835) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Ellsworth | January 27, 1801 (Acclamation) |
February 4, 1801 – July 6, 1835 (Died) |
34 years, 152 days | |
| 14 | 
|
William Johnson (1771–1834) |
SC | Associate Justice |
Moore | March 24, 1804 (Acclamation) |
May 7, 1804 – August 4, 1834 (Died) |
30 years, 89 days | Thomas Jefferson |
| 15 | 
|
Henry Brockholst Livingston (1757–1823) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Paterson | December 17, 1806 (Acclamation) |
January 20, 1807[f] – March 18, 1823 (Died) |
16 years, 57 days | |
| 16 | 
|
Thomas Todd (1765–1826) |
KY | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 2, 1807 (Acclamation) |
May 4, 1807 – February 7, 1826 (Died) |
18 years, 341 days | |
| 17 | 
|
Gabriel Duvall (1752–1844) |
MD | Associate Justice |
S. Chase | November 18, 1811 (Acclamation) |
November 23, 1811 – January 14, 1835 (Resigned) |
23 years, 50 days | James Madison |
| 18 | .jpg)
|
Joseph Story (1779–1845) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Cushing | November 18, 1811 (Acclamation) |
February 3, 1812 – September 10, 1845 (Died) |
33 years, 219 days | |
| 19 | 
|
Smith Thompson (1768–1843) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Livingston | December 9, 1823 (Acclamation) |
September 1, 1823[f] – December 18, 1843 (Died) |
20 years, 108 days | James Monroe |
| 20 | 
|
Robert Trimble (1776–1828) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Todd | May 9, 1826 (25–5) |
June 16, 1826 – August 25, 1828 (Died) |
2 years, 70 days | John Quincy Adams |
| 21 | 
|
John McLean (1785–1861) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Trimble | March 7, 1829 (Acclamation) |
March 12, 1829 – April 4, 1861 (Died) |
32 years, 23 days | Andrew Jackson |
| 22 | .jpg)
|
Henry Baldwin (1780–1844) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Washington | January 6, 1830 (41–2) |
January 18, 1830 – April 21, 1844 (Died) |
14 years, 94 days | |
| 23 | 
|
James Moore Wayne (1790–1867) |
GA | Associate Justice |
W. Johnson | January 9, 1835 (Acclamation) |
January 14, 1835 – July 5, 1867 (Died) |
32 years, 172 days | |
| 24 | 
|
Roger B. Taney (1777–1864) |
MD | Chief Justice |
J. Marshall | March 15, 1836 (29–15) |
March 28, 1836 – October 12, 1864 (Died) |
28 years, 198 days | |
| 25 | 
|
Philip P. Barbour (1783–1841) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Duvall | March 15, 1836 (30–11) |
May 12, 1836 – February 25, 1841 (Died) |
4 years, 289 days | |
| 26 | 
|
John Catron (1786–1865) |
TN | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 8, 1837 (28–15) |
May 1, 1837 – May 30, 1865 (Died) |
28 years, 29 days | |
| 27 | 
|
John McKinley (1780–1852) |
AL | Associate Justice |
new seat | September 25, 1837 (Acclamation) |
January 9, 1838[f] – July 19, 1852 (Died) |
14 years, 192 days | Martin Van Buren |
| 28 | 
|
Peter Vivian Daniel (1784–1860) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Barbour | March 2, 1841 (25–5) |
January 10, 1842 – May 31, 1860 (Died) |
18 years, 142 days | |
| 29 | 
|
Samuel Nelson (1792–1873) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Thompson | February 14, 1845 (Acclamation) |
February 27, 1845 – November 28, 1872 (Retired) |
27 years, 275 days | John Tyler |
| 30 | 
|
Levi Woodbury (1789–1851) |
NH | Associate Justice |
Story | January 31, 1846 (Acclamation) |
September 23, 1845[f] – September 4, 1851 (Died) |
5 years, 346 days | James K. Polk |
| 31 | 
|
Robert Cooper Grier (1794–1870) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Baldwin | August 4, 1846 (Acclamation) |
August 10, 1846 – January 31, 1870 (Retired) |
23 years, 174 days | |
| 32 | 
|
Benjamin Robbins Curtis (1809–1874) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Woodbury | December 20, 1851 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1851[f] – September 30, 1857 (Resigned) |
5 years, 355 days | Millard Fillmore |
| 33 | 
|
John Archibald Campbell (1811–1889) |
AL | Associate Justice |
McKinley | March 22, 1853 (Acclamation) |
April 11, 1853 – April 30, 1861 (Resigned) |
8 years, 19 days | Franklin Pierce |
| 34 | 
|
Nathan Clifford (1803–1881) |
ME | Associate Justice |
Curtis | January 12, 1858 (26–23) |
January 21, 1858 – July 25, 1881 (Died) |
23 years, 185 days | James Buchanan |
| 35 | 
|
Noah Haynes Swayne (1804–1884) |
OH | Associate Justice |
McLean | January 24, 1862 (38–1) |
January 27, 1862 – January 24, 1881 (Retired) |
18 years, 363 days | Abraham Lincoln |
| 36 | 
|
Samuel Freeman Miller (1816–1890) |
IA | Associate Justice |
Daniel | July 16, 1862 (Acclamation) |
July 21, 1862 – October 13, 1890 (Died) |
28 years, 84 days | |
| 37 | 
|
David Davis (1815–1886) |
IL | Associate Justice |
Campbell | December 8, 1862 (Acclamation) |
December 10, 1862[f] – March 4, 1877 (Resigned) |
14 years, 84 days | |
| 38 | 
|
Stephen Johnson Field (1816–1899) |
CA | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 10, 1863 (Acclamation) |
May 20, 1863 – December 1, 1897 (Retired) |
34 years, 195 days | |
| 39 | .jpg)
|
Salmon P. Chase (1808–1873) |
OH | Chief Justice |
Taney | December 6, 1864 (Acclamation) |
December 15, 1864 – May 7, 1873 (Died) |
8 years, 143 days | |
| 40 | 
|
William Strong (1808–1895) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Grier | February 18, 1870 (No vote recorded) |
March 14, 1870 – December 14, 1880 (Retired) |
10 years, 275 days | Ulysses S. Grant |
| 41 | 
|
Joseph P. Bradley (1813–1892) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 21, 1870 (46–9) |
March 23, 1870 – January 22, 1892 (Died) |
21 years, 305 days | |
| 42 | 
|
Ward Hunt (1810–1886) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Nelson | December 11, 1872 (Acclamation) |
January 9, 1873 – January 27, 1882 (Retired) |
9 years, 18 days | |
| 43 | 
|
Morrison Waite (1816–1888) |
OH | Chief Justice |
S. P. Chase | January 21, 1874 (63–0) |
March 4, 1874 – March 23, 1888 (Died) |
14 years, 19 days | |
| 44 | 
|
John Marshall Harlan (1833–1911) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Davis | November 29, 1877 (Acclamation) |
December 10, 1877 – October 14, 1911 (Died) |
33 years, 308 days | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| 45 | 
|
William Burnham Woods (1824–1887) |
GA | Associate Justice |
Strong | December 21, 1880 (39–8) |
January 5, 1881 – May 14, 1887 (Died) |
6 years, 129 days | |
| 46 | 
|
Stanley Matthews (1824–1889) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Swayne | May 12, 1881 (24–23) |
May 17, 1881 – March 22, 1889 (Died) |
7 years, 309 days | James A. Garfield |
| 47 | 
|
Horace Gray (1828–1902) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Clifford | December 20, 1881 (51–5) |
January 9, 1882 – September 15, 1902 (Died) |
20 years, 249 days | Chester A. Arthur |
| 48 | 
|
Samuel Blatchford (1820–1893) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Hunt | March 22, 1882 (Acclamation) |
April 3, 1882 – July 7, 1893 (Died) |
11 years, 95 days | |
| 49 | 
|
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825–1893) |
MS | Associate Justice |
Woods | January 16, 1888 (32–28) |
January 18, 1888 – January 23, 1893 (Died) |
5 years, 5 days | Grover Cleveland |
| 50 | 
|
Melville Fuller (1833–1910) |
IL | Chief Justice |
Waite | July 20, 1888 (41–20) |
October 8, 1888 – July 4, 1910 (Died) |
21 years, 269 days | |
| 51 | 
|
David J. Brewer (1837–1910) |
KS | Associate Justice |
Matthews | December 18, 1889 (53–11) |
January 6, 1890 – March 28, 1910 (Died) |
20 years, 81 days | Benjamin Harrison |
| 52 | 
|
Henry Billings Brown (1836–1913) |
MI | Associate Justice |
Miller | December 29, 1890 (Acclamation) |
January 5, 1891 – May 28, 1906 (Retired) |
15 years, 143 days | |
| 53 | 
|
George Shiras Jr. (1832–1924) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Bradley | July 26, 1892 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1892 – February 23, 1903 (Retired) |
10 years, 136 days | |
| 54 | 
|
Howell Edmunds Jackson (1832–1895) |
TN | Associate Justice |
L. Lamar | February 18, 1893 (Acclamation) |
March 4, 1893 – August 8, 1895 (Died) |
2 years, 157 days | |
| 55 | 
|
Edward Douglass White (1845–1921) |
LA | Associate Justice |
Blatchford | February 19, 1894 (Acclamation) |
March 12, 1894 – December 18, 1910 (Continued as chief justice) |
16 years, 281 days | Grover Cleveland |
| 56 | 
|
Rufus W. Peckham (1838–1909) |
NY | Associate Justice |
H. Jackson | December 9, 1895 (Acclamation) |
January 6, 1896 – October 24, 1909 (Died) |
13 years, 291 days | |
| 57 | 
|
Joseph McKenna (1843–1926) |
CA | Associate Justice[i] |
Field | January 21, 1898 (Acclamation) |
January 26, 1898 – January 5, 1925 (Retired) |
26 years, 345 days | William McKinley |
| 58 | 
|
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935) |
MA | Associate Justice[j] |
Gray | December 4, 1902 (Acclamation) |
December 8, 1902 – January 12, 1932 (Retired) |
29 years, 35 days | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 59 | 
|
William R. Day (1849–1923) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Shiras | February 23, 1903 (Acclamation) |
March 2, 1903 – November 13, 1922 (Retired) |
19 years, 256 days | |
| 60 | 
|
William Henry Moody (1853–1917) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Brown | December 12, 1906 (Acclamation) |
December 17, 1906 – November 20, 1910 (Retired) |
3 years, 338 days | |
| 61 | 
|
Horace Harmon Lurton (1844–1914) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Peckham | December 20, 1909 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1910 – July 12, 1914 (Died) |
4 years, 204 days | William Howard Taft |
| 62 | 
|
Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Brewer | May 2, 1910 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1910 – June 10, 1916 (Resigned) |
5 years, 244 days | |
| 55 |
|
Edward Douglass White (1845–1921) |
LA | Chief Justice |
Fuller | December 12, 1910 (Acclamation) |
December 19, 1910 – May 19, 1921 (Died) |
10 years, 151 days | |
| 63 | 
|
Willis Van Devanter (1859–1941) |
WY | Associate Justice |
E. D. White | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1911[k] – June 2, 1937 (Retired) |
26 years, 150 days | |
| 64 | 
|
Joseph Rucker Lamar (1857–1916) |
GA | Associate Justice |
Moody | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1911[k] – January 2, 1916 (Died) |
4 years, 364 days | |
| 65 | 
|
Mahlon Pitney (1858–1924) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
J. Harlan | March 13, 1912 (50–26) |
March 18, 1912 – December 31, 1922 (Resigned) |
10 years, 288 days | |
| 66 | 
|
James Clark McReynolds (1862–1946) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Lurton | August 29, 1914 (44–6) |
October 12, 1914 – January 31, 1941 (Retired) |
26 years, 111 days | Woodrow Wilson |
| 67 | 
|
Louis Brandeis (1856–1941) |
MA | Associate Justice |
J. Lamar | June 1, 1916 (47–22) |
June 5, 1916 – February 13, 1939 (Retired) |
22 years, 253 days | |
| 68 | 
|
John Hessin Clarke (1857–1945) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Hughes | July 24, 1916 (Acclamation) |
October 9, 1916 – September 18, 1922 (Retired) |
5 years, 344 days | |
| 69 | 
|
William Howard Taft (1857–1930) |
CT | Chief Justice |
E. D. White | June 30, 1921 (Acclamation) |
July 11, 1921 – February 3, 1930 (Retired) |
8 years, 207 days | Warren G. Harding |
| 70 | 
|
George Sutherland (1862–1942) |
UT | Associate Justice |
Clarke | September 5, 1922 (Acclamation) |
October 2, 1922 – January 17, 1938 (Retired) |
15 years, 107 days | |
| 71 | 
|
Pierce Butler (1866–1939) |
MN | Associate Justice |
Day | December 21, 1922 (61–8) |
January 2, 1923 – November 16, 1939 (Died) |
16 years, 318 days | |
| 72 | 
|
Edward Terry Sanford (1865–1930) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Pitney | January 29, 1923 (Acclamation) |
February 19, 1923 – March 8, 1930 (Died) |
7 years, 17 days | |
| 73 | 
|
Harlan F. Stone (1872–1946) |
NY | Associate Justice[l] |
McKenna | February 5, 1925 (71–6) |
March 2, 1925 – July 2, 1941 (Continued as chief justice) |
16 years, 122 days | Calvin Coolidge |
| 62 |
|
Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Taft | February 13, 1930 (52–26) |
February 24, 1930 – June 30, 1941 (Retired) |
11 years, 126 days | Herbert Hoover |
| 74 | 
|
Owen Roberts (1875–1955) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Sanford | May 20, 1930 (Acclamation) |
June 2, 1930 – July 31, 1945 (Resigned) |
15 years, 59 days | |
| 75 | 
|
Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870–1938) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Holmes | February 24, 1932 (Acclamation) |
March 14, 1932 – July 9, 1938 (Died) |
6 years, 117 days | |
| 76 | 
|
Hugo Black (1886–1971) |
AL | Associate Justice[m] |
Van Devanter | August 17, 1937 (63–16) |
August 19, 1937 – September 17, 1971 (Retired) |
34 years, 29 days | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 77 | 
|
Stanley Forman Reed (1884–1980) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Sutherland | January 25, 1938 (Acclamation) |
January 31, 1938 – February 25, 1957 (Retired) |
19 years, 25 days | |
| 78 | 
|
Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Cardozo | January 17, 1939 (Acclamation) |
January 30, 1939 – August 28, 1962 (Retired) |
23 years, 210 days | |
| 79 | 
|
William O. Douglas (1898–1980) |
CT | Associate Justice |
Brandeis | April 4, 1939 (62–4) |
April 17, 1939 – November 12, 1975 (Retired) |
36 years, 209 days | |
| 80 | 
|
Frank Murphy (1890–1949) |
MI | Associate Justice |
Butler | January 16, 1940 (Acclamation) |
February 5, 1940 – July 19, 1949 (Died) |
9 years, 164 days | |
| 73 |
|
Harlan F. Stone (1872–1946) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Hughes | June 27, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 3, 1941 – April 22, 1946 (Died) |
4 years, 293 days | |
| 81 | 
|
James F. Byrnes (1882–1972) |
SC | Associate Justice |
McReynolds | June 12, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 8, 1941 – October 3, 1942 (Resigned) |
1 year, 87 days | |
| 82 | 
|
Robert H. Jackson (1892–1954) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Stone | July 7, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 11, 1941 – October 9, 1954 (Died) |
13 years, 90 days | |
| 83 | 
|
Wiley Blount Rutledge (1894–1949) |
IA | Associate Justice |
Byrnes | February 8, 1943 (Acclamation) |
February 15, 1943 – September 10, 1949 (Died) |
6 years, 207 days | |
| 84 | 
|
Harold Hitz Burton (1888–1964) |
OH | Associate Justice |
O. Roberts | September 19, 1945 (Acclamation) |
October 1, 1945 – October 13, 1958 (Retired) |
13 years, 12 days | Harry S. Truman |
| 85 | 
|
Fred M. Vinson (1890–1953) |
KY | Chief Justice |
Stone | June 20, 1946 (Acclamation) |
June 24, 1946 – September 8, 1953 (Died) |
7 years, 76 days | |
| 86 | .jpg)
|
Tom C. Clark (1899–1977) |
TX | Associate Justice |
Murphy | August 18, 1949 (73–8) |
August 24, 1949 – June 12, 1967 (Retired) |
17 years, 292 days | |
| 87 | 
|
Sherman Minton (1890–1965) |
IN | Associate Justice |
W. Rutledge | October 4, 1949 (48–16) |
October 12, 1949 – October 15, 1956 (Retired) |
7 years, 3 days | |
| 88 | 
|
Earl Warren (1891–1974) |
CA | Chief Justice |
Vinson | March 1, 1954 (Acclamation) |
October 5, 1953[f] – June 23, 1969 (Retired) |
15 years, 261 days | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 89 | 
|
John Marshall Harlan II (1899–1971) |
NY | Associate Justice |
R. Jackson | March 16, 1955 (71–11) |
March 28, 1955 – September 23, 1971 (Retired) |
16 years, 179 days | |
| 90 | 
|
William J. Brennan Jr. (1906–1997) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
Minton | March 19, 1957 (Acclamation) |
October 16, 1956[f] – July 20, 1990 (Retired) |
33 years, 277 days | |
| 91 | 
|
Charles Evans Whittaker (1901–1973) |
MO | Associate Justice |
Reed | March 19, 1957 (Acclamation) |
March 25, 1957 – March 31, 1962 (Retired) |
5 years, 6 days | |
| 92 | 
|
Potter Stewart (1915–1985) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Burton | May 5, 1959 (70–17) |
October 14, 1958[f] – July 3, 1981 (Retired) |
22 years, 262 days | |
| 93 | 
|
Byron White (1917–2002) |
CO | Associate Justice |
Whittaker | April 11, 1962 (Acclamation) |
April 16, 1962 – June 28, 1993 (Retired) |
31 years, 73 days | John F. Kennedy |
| 94 | .jpg)
|
Arthur Goldberg (1908–1990) |
IL | Associate Justice |
Frankfurter | September 25, 1962 (Acclamation) |
October 1, 1962 – July 25, 1965 (Resigned) |
2 years, 297 days | |
| 95 | 
|
Abe Fortas (1910–1982) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Goldberg | August 11, 1965 (Acclamation) |
October 4, 1965 – May 14, 1969 (Resigned) |
3 years, 222 days | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 96 | 
|
Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Clark | August 30, 1967 (69–11) |
October 2, 1967 – October 1, 1991 (Retired) |
23 years, 364 days | |
| 97 | 
|
Warren E. Burger (1907–1995) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Warren | June 9, 1969 (74–3) |
June 23, 1969 – September 26, 1986 (Retired) |
17 years, 95 days | Richard Nixon |
| 98 | 
|
Harry Blackmun (1908–1999) |
MN | Associate Justice |
Fortas | May 12, 1970 (94–0) |
June 9, 1970 – August 3, 1994 (Retired) |
24 years, 55 days | |
| 99 | 
|
Lewis F. Powell Jr. (1907–1998) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Black | December 6, 1971 (89–1) |
January 7, 1972[n] – June 26, 1987 (Retired) |
15 years, 170 days | |
| 100 | 
|
William Rehnquist (1924–2005) |
AZ | Associate Justice |
J. Harlan II | December 10, 1971 (68–26) |
January 7, 1972[n] – September 26, 1986 (Continued as chief justice) |
14 years, 262 days | |
| 101 | 
|
John Paul Stevens (1920–2019) |
IL | Associate Justice[o] |
Douglas | December 17, 1975 (98–0) |
December 19, 1975 – June 29, 2010 (Retired) |
34 years, 192 days | Gerald Ford |
| 102 | 
|
Sandra Day O'Connor (1930–2023) |
AZ | Associate Justice |
Stewart | September 21, 1981 (99–0) |
September 25, 1981 – January 31, 2006 (Retired) |
24 years, 128 days | Ronald Reagan |
| 100 |
|
William Rehnquist (1924–2005) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Burger | September 17, 1986 (65–33) |
September 26, 1986 – September 3, 2005 (Died) |
18 years, 342 days | |
| 103 | 
|
Antonin Scalia (1936–2016) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Rehnquist | September 17, 1986 (98–0) |
September 26, 1986 – February 13, 2016 (Died) |
29 years, 140 days | |
| 104 | 
|
Anthony Kennedy (born 1936) |
CA | Associate Justice |
Powell | February 3, 1988 (97–0) |
February 18, 1988 – July 31, 2018 (Retired) |
30 years, 163 days | |
| 105 | 
|
David Souter (born 1939) |
NH | Associate Justice |
Brennan | October 2, 1990 (90–9) |
October 9, 1990 – June 29, 2009 (Retired) |
18 years, 263 days | George H. W. Bush |
| 106 | 
|
Clarence Thomas (born 1948) |
GA | Associate Justice |
T. Marshall | October 15, 1991 (52–48) |
October 23, 1991 – Incumbent |
33 years, 23 days | |
| 107 | 
|
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) |
NY | Associate Justice |
B. White | August 3, 1993 (96–3) |
August 10, 1993 – September 18, 2020 (Died) |
27 years, 39 days | Bill Clinton |
| 108 | 
|
Stephen Breyer (born 1938) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Blackmun | July 29, 1994 (87–9) |
August 3, 1994 – June 30, 2022 (Retired) |
27 years, 331 days | |
| 109 | 
|
John Roberts (born 1955) |
MD | Chief Justice |
Rehnquist | September 29, 2005 (78–22) |
September 29, 2005 – Incumbent |
19 years, 47 days | George W. Bush |
| 110 | 
|
Samuel Alito (born 1950) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
O'Connor | January 31, 2006 (58–42) |
January 31, 2006 – Incumbent |
18 years, 289 days | |
| 111 | 
|
Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Souter | August 6, 2009 (68–31) |
August 8, 2009 – Incumbent |
15 years, 99 days | Barack Obama |
| 112 | .jpg)
|
Elena Kagan (born 1960) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Stevens | August 5, 2010 (63–37) |
August 7, 2010 – Incumbent |
14 years, 100 days | |
| 113 | 
|
Neil Gorsuch (born 1967) |
CO | Associate Justice |
Scalia | April 7, 2017 (54–45) |
April 10, 2017 – Incumbent |
7 years, 219 days | Donald Trump |
| 114 | .jpg)
|
Brett Kavanaugh (born 1965) |
MD | Associate Justice |
Kennedy | October 6, 2018 (50–48) |
October 6, 2018 – Incumbent |
6 years, 40 days | |
| 115 | 
|
Amy Coney Barrett (born 1972) |
IN | Associate Justice |
Ginsburg | October 26, 2020 (52–48) |
October 27, 2020 – Incumbent |
4 years, 19 days | |
| 116 | 
|
Ketanji Brown Jackson (born 1970) |
DC | Associate Justice |
Breyer | April 7, 2022 (53–47) |
June 30, 2022 – Incumbent |
2 years, 138 days | Joe Biden |
| Justice | State[c] | Position | Replacing | Date confirmed (Vote) |
Tenure | Tenure length | Nominated by | ||
Notes
edit- ^ a b Served on the Supreme Court twice: first as associate justice and then, after a period of years off the Court, as chief justice.
- ^ a b c Elevated from associate justice to chief justice while serving on the Supreme Court. Such appointments are subject to a separate confirmation process.
- ^ a b State or federal district of residence at the time of appointment. For example, in 1971, Rehnquist was appointed from Arizona, but in 1986, when elevated to chief justice, he was appointed from Virginia.[10]
- ^ The start date given for each justice is the day they took the prescribed judicial oath of office, with the end date being the date of the justice's death, resignation, or retirement.[10]
- ^ a b c d While Justice Wilson was the first to take the oath of office, § 1 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 prescribes precedence of the associate justices by the dates their judicial commissions bear. This rule of precedence exists to this day, codified at Title 28, U.S. Code § 4. The commissions of the first four associate justices bear the following dates: Rutledge, Sept. 26, 1789; Cushing, Sept. 27; Wilson, Sept. 29; and Blair, Sept. 30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Recess appointment. Note: the date on which the justice took the judicial oath is here used as the date of the beginning of their service, not the date of the recess appointment.
- ^ This was the first Supreme Court nomination to be rejected by the Senate. Rutledge remains the only "recess appointed" justice not to be subsequently confirmed by the Senate.
- ^ Was impeached, but not convicted, and remained in office.
- ^ Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, May 19 – July 11, 1921.
- ^ Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, February 3–24, 1930.
- ^ a b While Willis Van Devanter and Joseph Rucker Lamar were sworn in as associate justice on the same date, their seniority (precedence) on the Supreme Court was determined by the dates borne on their judicial commissions—President Taft issued the judicial commission of Justice Van Devanter on Dec. 16, 1910, bearing that date; the commission of Justice Lamar issued the next day, Dec. 17.
- ^ Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, June 30 – July 3, 1941.
- ^ Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, April 22 – June 24, 1946, and again, under 62 Stat. 869, September 8 – October 5, 1953.
- ^ a b Although Lewis Powell and William H. Rehnquist were both sworn into office as associate justice on the same day, Powell by law took precedence as the more senior associate justice, his judicial commission bearing the date Dec. 9, 1971; Rehnquist's commission bore the date of Dec. 16, 1971.
- ^ Acted as chief justice under 62 Stat. 869, September 3–29, 2005.
Timeline of justices
editThis graphical timeline depicts the progression of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.[9][10] Information regarding each justice's predecessors, successors, and fellow justices, as well as their tenure on the court, can be gleaned (and comparisons between justices drawn) from it. There are no formal names or numbers for the individual seats of the associate justices, which are listed in the table below simply by number. Additionally, the progression of U.S. presidents is shown at the top of the timeline to give a more detailed historical context.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Stathis, Stephen W. (2014). Landmark Legislation 1774–2012: Major U.S. Acts and Treaties. CQ Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-1452292298.
- ^ Hall, Kermit L. (2005). "Judiciary Act of 1869". In Hall, Kermit L.; Ely, James W.; Grossman, Joel B. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. Oxford University Press. p. 548. ISBN 978-0195176612.
- ^ McMillion, Barry J.; Rutkus, Denis Steven (July 6, 2018). "Supreme Court Nominations, 1789 to 2017: Actions by the Senate, the Judiciary Committee, and the President" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "Article III". Ithaca, New York: Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "About The Supreme Court". Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Jean Edward (July 26, 2007). "Stacking the Court". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Rosen, Jeffrey (February 26, 2008). "Dems' Choices For Bench Surprisingly Slim". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ a b "Supreme Court Nominations (1789-Present)". washington, D.C.: United States Senate. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Justices 1789 to Present". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2022.