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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. 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.
Backgroundβ»
The 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," 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).
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.
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/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.
List of justicesβ»
Since 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 July 5, 2024, the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas's 32 years, 256 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson's 2 years, 5 days. Five individuals, who were confirmed for associate justice, were later appointed chief justice separately: John Rutledge, Edward Douglass White, Charles Evans Hughes, Harlan F. Stone and William Rehnquist. While listed twice, each of them has been assigned only one index number. The justices of the Supreme Court are:
Justice | State | Position | Succeeded | Date confirmed (Vote) |
Tenure | Tenure length | Nominated by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Jay (1745β1829) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
October 19, 1789 β June 29, 1795 (Resigned) |
5 years, 253 days | George Washington | |
2 | John Rutledge (1739β1800) |
SC | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 15, 1790 β March 5, 1791 (Resigned) |
1 year, 18 days | ||
3 | William Cushing (1732β1810) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 2, 1790 β September 13, 1810 (Died) |
20 years, 223 days | ||
4 | James Wilson (1742β1798) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
October 5, 1789 β August 21, 1798 (Died) |
8 years, 320 days | ||
5 | John Blair (1732β1800) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | September 26, 1789 (Acclamation) |
February 2, 1790 β October 25, 1795 (Resigned) |
5 years, 265 days | ||
6 | James Iredell (1751β1799) |
NC | Associate Justice |
Inaugural | February 10, 1790 (Acclamation) |
May 12, 1790 β October 20, 1799 (Died) |
9 years, 161 days | ||
7 | Thomas Johnson (1732β1819) |
MD | Associate Justice |
J. Rutledge | November 7, 1791 (Acclamation) |
September 19, 1791 β January 16, 1793 (Resigned) |
1 year, 119 days | ||
8 | William Paterson (1745β1806) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
T. Johnson | March 4, 1793 (Acclamation) |
March 11, 1793 β September 9, 1806 (Died) |
13 years, 181 days | ||
2 | John Rutledge (1739β1800) |
SC | Chief Justice |
Jay | December 15, 1795 (10β14) |
August 12, 1795 β December 15, 1795 (Resigned, nomination having been rejected) |
138 days | ||
9 | Samuel Chase (1741β1811) |
MD | Associate Justice |
Blair | January 27, 1796 (Acclamation) |
February 4, 1796 β June 19, 1811 (Died) |
15 years, 135 days | ||
10 | Oliver Ellsworth (1745β1807) |
CT | Chief Justice |
J. Rutledge | March 4, 1796 (21β1) |
March 8, 1796 β December 15, 1800 (Resigned) |
4 years, 282 days | ||
11 | Bushrod Washington (1762β1829) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Wilson | December 20, 1798 (Acclamation) |
November 9, 1798 β November 26, 1829 (Died) |
31 years, 17 days | John Adams | |
12 | Alfred Moore (1755β1810) |
NC | Associate Justice |
Iredell | December 9, 1799 (Acclamation) |
April 21, 1800 β January 26, 1804 (Resigned) |
3 years, 280 days | ||
13 | John Marshall (1755β1835) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Ellsworth | January 27, 1801 (Acclamation) |
February 4, 1801 β July 6, 1835 (Died) |
34 years, 152 days | ||
14 | William Johnson (1771β1834) |
SC | Associate Justice |
Moore | March 24, 1804 (Acclamation) |
May 7, 1804 β August 4, 1834 (Died) |
30 years, 89 days | Thomas Jefferson | |
15 | Henry Brockholst Livingston (1757β1823) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Paterson | December 17, 1806 (Acclamation) |
January 20, 1807 β March 18, 1823 (Died) |
16 years, 57 days | ||
16 | Thomas Todd (1765β1826) |
KY | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 2, 1807 (Acclamation) |
May 4, 1807 β February 7, 1826 (Died) |
18 years, 341 days | ||
17 | Gabriel Duvall (1752β1844) |
MD | Associate Justice |
S. Chase | November 18, 1811 (Acclamation) |
November 23, 1811 β January 14, 1835 (Resigned) |
23 years, 50 days | James Madison | |
18 | Joseph Story (1779β1845) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Cushing | November 18, 1811 (Acclamation) |
February 3, 1812 β September 10, 1845 (Died) |
33 years, 219 days | ||
19 | Smith Thompson (1768β1843) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Livingston | December 9, 1823 (Acclamation) |
September 1, 1823 β December 18, 1843 (Died) |
20 years, 108 days | James Monroe | |
20 | Robert Trimble (1776β1828) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Todd | May 9, 1826 (25β5) |
June 16, 1826 β August 25, 1828 (Died) |
2 years, 70 days | John Quincy Adams | |
21 | John McLean (1785β1861) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Trimble | March 7, 1829 (Acclamation) |
March 12, 1829 β April 4, 1861 (Died) |
32 years, 23 days | Andrew Jackson | |
22 | Henry Baldwin (1780β1844) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Washington | January 6, 1830 (41β2) |
January 18, 1830 β April 21, 1844 (Died) |
14 years, 94 days | ||
23 | James Moore Wayne (1790β1867) |
GA | Associate Justice |
W. Johnson | January 9, 1835 (Acclamation) |
January 14, 1835 β July 5, 1867 (Died) |
32 years, 172 days | ||
24 | Roger B. Taney (1777β1864) |
MD | Chief Justice |
J. Marshall | March 15, 1836 (29β15) |
March 28, 1836 β October 12, 1864 (Died) |
28 years, 198 days | ||
25 | Philip P. Barbour (1783β1841) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Duvall | March 15, 1836 (30β11) |
May 12, 1836 β February 25, 1841 (Died) |
4 years, 289 days | ||
26 | John Catron (1786β1865) |
TN | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 8, 1837 (28β15) |
May 1, 1837 β May 30, 1865 (Died) |
28 years, 29 days | ||
27 | John McKinley (1780β1852) |
AL | Associate Justice |
new seat | September 25, 1837 (Acclamation) |
January 9, 1838 β July 19, 1852 (Died) |
14 years, 192 days | Martin Van Buren | |
28 | Peter Vivian Daniel (1784β1860) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Barbour | March 2, 1841 (25β5) |
January 10, 1842 β May 31, 1860 (Died) |
18 years, 142 days | ||
29 | Samuel Nelson (1792β1873) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Thompson | February 14, 1845 (Acclamation) |
February 27, 1845 β November 28, 1872 (Retired) |
27 years, 275 days | John Tyler | |
30 | Levi Woodbury (1789β1851) |
NH | Associate Justice |
Story | January 31, 1846 (Acclamation) |
September 23, 1845 β September 4, 1851 (Died) |
5 years, 346 days | James K. Polk | |
31 | Robert Cooper Grier (1794β1870) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Baldwin | August 4, 1846 (Acclamation) |
August 10, 1846 β January 31, 1870 (Retired) |
23 years, 174 days | ||
32 | Benjamin Robbins Curtis (1809β1874) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Woodbury | December 20, 1851 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1851 β September 30, 1857 (Resigned) |
5 years, 355 days | Millard Fillmore | |
33 | John Archibald Campbell (1811β1889) |
AL | Associate Justice |
McKinley | March 22, 1853 (Acclamation) |
April 11, 1853 β April 30, 1861 (Resigned) |
8 years, 19 days | Franklin Pierce | |
34 | Nathan Clifford (1803β1881) |
ME | Associate Justice |
Curtis | January 12, 1858 (26β23) |
January 21, 1858 β July 25, 1881 (Died) |
23 years, 185 days | James Buchanan | |
35 | Noah Haynes Swayne (1804β1884) |
OH | Associate Justice |
McLean | January 24, 1862 (38β1) |
January 27, 1862 β January 24, 1881 (Retired) |
18 years, 363 days | Abraham Lincoln | |
36 | Samuel Freeman Miller (1816β1890) |
IA | Associate Justice |
Daniel | July 16, 1862 (Acclamation) |
July 21, 1862 β October 13, 1890 (Died) |
28 years, 84 days | ||
37 | David Davis (1815β1886) |
IL | Associate Justice |
Campbell | December 8, 1862 (Acclamation) |
December 10, 1862 β March 4, 1877 (Resigned) |
14 years, 84 days | ||
38 | Stephen Johnson Field (1816β1899) |
CA | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 10, 1863 (Acclamation) |
May 20, 1863 β December 1, 1897 (Retired) |
34 years, 195 days | ||
39 | Salmon P. Chase (1808β1873) |
OH | Chief Justice |
Taney | December 6, 1864 (Acclamation) |
December 15, 1864 β May 7, 1873 (Died) |
8 years, 143 days | ||
40 | William Strong (1808β1895) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Grier | February 18, 1870 (No vote recorded) |
March 14, 1870 β December 14, 1880 (Retired) |
10 years, 275 days | Ulysses S. Grant | |
41 | Joseph P. Bradley (1813β1892) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
new seat | March 21, 1870 (46β9) |
March 23, 1870 β January 22, 1892 (Died) |
21 years, 305 days | ||
42 | Ward Hunt (1810β1886) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Nelson | December 11, 1872 (Acclamation) |
January 9, 1873 β January 27, 1882 (Retired) |
9 years, 18 days | ||
43 | Morrison Waite (1816β1888) |
OH | Chief Justice |
S. P. Chase | January 21, 1874 (63β0) |
March 4, 1874 β March 23, 1888 (Died) |
14 years, 19 days | ||
44 | John Marshall Harlan (1833β1911) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Davis | November 29, 1877 (Acclamation) |
December 10, 1877 β October 14, 1911 (Died) |
33 years, 308 days | Rutherford B. Hayes | |
45 | William Burnham Woods (1824β1887) |
GA | Associate Justice |
Strong | December 21, 1880 (39β8) |
January 5, 1881 β May 14, 1887 (Died) |
6 years, 129 days | ||
46 | Stanley Matthews (1824β1889) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Swayne | May 12, 1881 (24β23) |
May 17, 1881 β March 22, 1889 (Died) |
7 years, 309 days | James A. Garfield | |
47 | Horace Gray (1828β1902) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Clifford | December 20, 1881 (51β5) |
January 9, 1882 β September 15, 1902 (Died) |
20 years, 249 days | Chester A. Arthur | |
48 | Samuel Blatchford (1820β1893) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Hunt | March 22, 1882 (Acclamation) |
April 3, 1882 β July 7, 1893 (Died) |
11 years, 95 days | ||
49 | Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825β1893) |
MS | Associate Justice |
Woods | January 16, 1888 (32β28) |
January 18, 1888 β January 23, 1893 (Died) |
5 years, 5 days | Grover Cleveland | |
50 | Melville Fuller (1833β1910) |
IL | Chief Justice |
Waite | July 20, 1888 (41β20) |
October 8, 1888 β July 4, 1910 (Died) |
21 years, 269 days | ||
51 | David J. Brewer (1837β1910) |
KS | Associate Justice |
Matthews | December 18, 1889 (53β11) |
January 6, 1890 β March 28, 1910 (Died) |
20 years, 81 days | Benjamin Harrison | |
52 | Henry Billings Brown (1836β1913) |
MI | Associate Justice |
Miller | December 29, 1890 (Acclamation) |
January 5, 1891 β May 28, 1906 (Retired) |
15 years, 143 days | ||
53 | George Shiras Jr. (1832β1924) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Bradley | July 26, 1892 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1892 β February 23, 1903 (Retired) |
10 years, 136 days | ||
54 | Howell Edmunds Jackson (1832β1895) |
TN | Associate Justice |
L. Lamar | February 18, 1893 (Acclamation) |
March 4, 1893 β August 8, 1895 (Died) |
2 years, 157 days | ||
55 | Edward Douglass White (1845β1921) |
LA | Associate Justice |
Blatchford | February 19, 1894 (Acclamation) |
March 12, 1894 β December 18, 1910 (Continued as chief justice) |
16 years, 281 days | Grover Cleveland | |
56 | Rufus W. Peckham (1838β1909) |
NY | Associate Justice |
H. Jackson | December 9, 1895 (Acclamation) |
January 6, 1896 β October 24, 1909 (Died) |
13 years, 291 days | ||
57 | Joseph McKenna (1843β1926) |
CA | Associate Justice |
Field | January 21, 1898 (Acclamation) |
January 26, 1898 β January 5, 1925 (Retired) |
26 years, 345 days | William McKinley | |
58 | Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841β1935) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Gray | December 4, 1902 (Acclamation) |
December 8, 1902 β January 12, 1932 (Retired) |
29 years, 35 days | Theodore Roosevelt | |
59 | William R. Day (1849β1923) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Shiras | February 23, 1903 (Acclamation) |
March 2, 1903 β November 13, 1922 (Retired) |
19 years, 256 days | ||
60 | William Henry Moody (1853β1917) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Brown | December 12, 1906 (Acclamation) |
December 17, 1906 β November 20, 1910 (Retired) |
3 years, 338 days | ||
61 | Horace Harmon Lurton (1844β1914) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Peckham | December 20, 1909 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1910 β July 12, 1914 (Died) |
4 years, 204 days | William Howard Taft | |
62 | Charles Evans Hughes (1862β1948) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Brewer | May 2, 1910 (Acclamation) |
October 10, 1910 β June 10, 1916 (Resigned) |
5 years, 244 days | ||
55 | Edward Douglass White (1845β1921) |
LA | Chief Justice |
Fuller | December 12, 1910 (Acclamation) |
December 19, 1910 β May 19, 1921 (Died) |
10 years, 151 days | ||
63 | Willis Van Devanter (1859β1941) |
WY | Associate Justice |
E. D. White | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1911 β June 2, 1937 (Retired) |
26 years, 150 days | ||
64 | Joseph Rucker Lamar (1857β1916) |
GA | Associate Justice |
Moody | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1911 β January 2, 1916 (Died) |
4 years, 364 days | ||
65 | Mahlon Pitney (1858β1924) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
J. Harlan | March 13, 1912 (50β26) |
March 18, 1912 β December 31, 1922 (Resigned) |
10 years, 288 days | ||
66 | James Clark McReynolds (1862β1946) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Lurton | August 29, 1914 (44β6) |
October 12, 1914 β January 31, 1941 (Retired) |
26 years, 111 days | Woodrow Wilson | |
67 | Louis Brandeis (1856β1941) |
MA | Associate Justice |
J. Lamar | June 1, 1916 (47β22) |
June 5, 1916 β February 13, 1939 (Retired) |
22 years, 253 days | ||
68 | John Hessin Clarke (1857β1945) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Hughes | July 24, 1916 (Acclamation) |
October 9, 1916 β September 18, 1922 (Retired) |
5 years, 344 days | ||
69 | William Howard Taft (1857β1930) |
CT | Chief Justice |
E. D. White | June 30, 1921 (Acclamation) |
July 11, 1921 β February 3, 1930 (Retired) |
8 years, 207 days | Warren G. Harding | |
70 | George Sutherland (1862β1942) |
UT | Associate Justice |
Clarke | September 5, 1922 (Acclamation) |
October 2, 1922 β January 17, 1938 (Retired) |
15 years, 107 days | ||
71 | Pierce Butler (1866β1939) |
MN | Associate Justice |
Day | December 21, 1922 (61β8) |
January 2, 1923 β November 16, 1939 (Died) |
16 years, 318 days | ||
72 | Edward Terry Sanford (1865β1930) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Pitney | January 29, 1923 (Acclamation) |
February 19, 1923 β March 8, 1930 (Died) |
7 years, 17 days | ||
73 | Harlan F. Stone (1872β1946) |
NY | Associate Justice |
McKenna | February 5, 1925 (71β6) |
March 2, 1925 β July 2, 1941 (Continued as chief justice) |
16 years, 122 days | Calvin Coolidge | |
62 | Charles Evans Hughes (1862β1948) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Taft | February 13, 1930 (52β26) |
February 24, 1930 β June 30, 1941 (Retired) |
11 years, 126 days | Herbert Hoover | |
74 | Owen Roberts (1875β1955) |
PA | Associate Justice |
Sanford | May 20, 1930 (Acclamation) |
June 2, 1930 β July 31, 1945 (Resigned) |
15 years, 59 days | ||
75 | Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870β1938) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Holmes | February 24, 1932 (Acclamation) |
March 14, 1932 β July 9, 1938 (Died) |
6 years, 117 days | ||
76 | Hugo Black (1886β1971) |
AL | Associate Justice |
Van Devanter | August 17, 1937 (63β16) |
August 19, 1937 β September 17, 1971 (Retired) |
34 years, 29 days | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
77 | Stanley Forman Reed (1884β1980) |
KY | Associate Justice |
Sutherland | January 25, 1938 (Acclamation) |
January 31, 1938 β February 25, 1957 (Retired) |
19 years, 25 days | ||
78 | Felix Frankfurter (1882β1965) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Cardozo | January 17, 1939 (Acclamation) |
January 30, 1939 β August 28, 1962 (Retired) |
23 years, 210 days | ||
79 | William O. Douglas (1898β1980) |
CT | Associate Justice |
Brandeis | April 4, 1939 (62β4) |
April 17, 1939 β November 12, 1975 (Retired) |
36 years, 209 days | ||
80 | Frank Murphy (1890β1949) |
MI | Associate Justice |
Butler | January 16, 1940 (Acclamation) |
February 5, 1940 β July 19, 1949 (Died) |
9 years, 164 days | ||
73 | Harlan F. Stone (1872β1946) |
NY | Chief Justice |
Hughes | June 27, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 3, 1941 β April 22, 1946 (Died) |
4 years, 293 days | ||
81 | James F. Byrnes (1882β1972) |
SC | Associate Justice |
McReynolds | June 12, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 8, 1941 β October 3, 1942 (Resigned) |
1 year, 87 days | ||
82 | Robert H. Jackson (1892β1954) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Stone | July 7, 1941 (Acclamation) |
July 11, 1941 β October 9, 1954 (Died) |
13 years, 90 days | ||
83 | Wiley Blount Rutledge (1894β1949) |
IA | Associate Justice |
Byrnes | February 8, 1943 (Acclamation) |
February 15, 1943 β September 10, 1949 (Died) |
6 years, 207 days | ||
84 | Harold Hitz Burton (1888β1964) |
OH | Associate Justice |
O. Roberts | September 19, 1945 (Acclamation) |
October 1, 1945 β October 13, 1958 (Retired) |
13 years, 12 days | Harry S. Truman | |
85 | Fred M. Vinson (1890β1953) |
KY | Chief Justice |
Stone | June 20, 1946 (Acclamation) |
June 24, 1946 β September 8, 1953 (Died) |
7 years, 76 days | ||
86 | Tom C. Clark (1899β1977) |
TX | Associate Justice |
Murphy | August 18, 1949 (73β8) |
August 24, 1949 β June 12, 1967 (Retired) |
17 years, 292 days | ||
87 | Sherman Minton (1890β1965) |
IN | Associate Justice |
W. Rutledge | October 4, 1949 (48β16) |
October 12, 1949 β October 15, 1956 (Retired) |
7 years, 3 days | ||
88 | Earl Warren (1891β1974) |
CA | Chief Justice |
Vinson | March 1, 1954 (Acclamation) |
October 5, 1953 β June 23, 1969 (Retired) |
15 years, 261 days | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
89 | John Marshall Harlan II (1899β1971) |
NY | Associate Justice |
R. Jackson | March 16, 1955 (71β11) |
March 28, 1955 β September 23, 1971 (Retired) |
16 years, 179 days | ||
90 | William J. Brennan Jr. (1906β1997) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
Minton | March 19, 1957 (Acclamation) |
October 16, 1956 β July 20, 1990 (Retired) |
33 years, 277 days | ||
91 | Charles Evans Whittaker (1901β1973) |
MO | Associate Justice |
Reed | March 19, 1957 (Acclamation) |
March 25, 1957 β March 31, 1962 (Retired) |
5 years, 6 days | ||
92 | Potter Stewart (1915β1985) |
OH | Associate Justice |
Burton | May 5, 1959 (70β17) |
October 14, 1958 β July 3, 1981 (Retired) |
22 years, 262 days | ||
93 | Byron White (1917β2002) |
CO | Associate Justice |
Whittaker | April 11, 1962 (Acclamation) |
April 16, 1962 β June 28, 1993 (Retired) |
31 years, 73 days | John F. Kennedy | |
94 | Arthur Goldberg (1908β1990) |
IL | Associate Justice |
Frankfurter | September 25, 1962 (Acclamation) |
October 1, 1962 β July 25, 1965 (Resigned) |
2 years, 297 days | ||
95 | Abe Fortas (1910β1982) |
TN | Associate Justice |
Goldberg | August 11, 1965 (Acclamation) |
October 4, 1965 β May 14, 1969 (Resigned) |
3 years, 222 days | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
96 | Thurgood Marshall (1908β1993) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Clark | August 30, 1967 (69β11) |
October 2, 1967 β October 1, 1991 (Retired) |
23 years, 364 days | ||
97 | Warren E. Burger (1907β1995) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Warren | June 9, 1969 (74β3) |
June 23, 1969 β September 26, 1986 (Retired) |
17 years, 95 days | Richard Nixon | |
98 | Harry Blackmun (1908β1999) |
MN | Associate Justice |
Fortas | May 12, 1970 (94β0) |
June 9, 1970 β August 3, 1994 (Retired) |
24 years, 55 days | ||
99 | Lewis F. Powell Jr. (1907β1998) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Black | December 6, 1971 (89β1) |
January 7, 1972 β June 26, 1987 (Retired) |
15 years, 170 days | ||
100 | William Rehnquist (1924β2005) |
AZ | Associate Justice |
J. Harlan II | December 10, 1971 (68β26) |
January 7, 1972 β September 26, 1986 (Continued as chief justice) |
14 years, 262 days | ||
101 | John Paul Stevens (1920β2019) |
IL | Associate Justice |
Douglas | December 17, 1975 (98β0) |
December 19, 1975 β June 29, 2010 (Retired) |
34 years, 192 days | Gerald Ford | |
102 | Sandra Day O'Connor (1930β2023) |
AZ | Associate Justice |
Stewart | September 21, 1981 (99β0) |
September 25, 1981 β January 31, 2006 (Retired) |
24 years, 128 days | Ronald Reagan | |
100 | William Rehnquist (1924β2005) |
VA | Chief Justice |
Burger | September 17, 1986 (65β33) |
September 26, 1986 β September 3, 2005 (Died) |
18 years, 342 days | ||
103 | Antonin Scalia (1936β2016) |
VA | Associate Justice |
Rehnquist | September 17, 1986 (98β0) |
September 26, 1986 β February 13, 2016 (Died) |
29 years, 140 days | ||
104 | Anthony Kennedy (born 1936) |
CA | Associate Justice |
Powell | February 3, 1988 (97β0) |
February 18, 1988 β July 31, 2018 (Retired) |
30 years, 163 days | ||
105 | David Souter (born 1939) |
NH | Associate Justice |
Brennan | October 2, 1990 (90β9) |
October 9, 1990 β 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 (52β48) |
October 23, 1991 β Incumbent |
32 years, 256 days | ||
107 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933β2020) |
NY | Associate Justice |
B. White | August 3, 1993 (96β3) |
August 10, 1993 β September 18, 2020 (Died) |
27 years, 39 days | Bill Clinton | |
108 | Stephen Breyer (born 1938) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Blackmun | July 29, 1994 (87β9) |
August 3, 1994 β June 30, 2022 (Retired) |
27 years, 331 days | ||
109 | John Roberts (born 1955) |
MD | Chief Justice |
Rehnquist | September 29, 2005 (78β22) |
September 29, 2005 β Incumbent |
18 years, 280 days | George W. Bush | |
110 | Samuel Alito (born 1950) |
NJ | Associate Justice |
O'Connor | January 31, 2006 (58β42) |
January 31, 2006 β Incumbent |
18 years, 156 days | ||
111 | Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954) |
NY | Associate Justice |
Souter | August 6, 2009 (68β31) |
August 8, 2009 β Incumbent |
14 years, 332 days | Barack Obama | |
112 | Elena Kagan (born 1960) |
MA | Associate Justice |
Stevens | August 5, 2010 (63β37) |
August 7, 2010 β Incumbent |
13 years, 333 days | ||
113 | Neil Gorsuch (born 1967) |
CO | Associate Justice |
Scalia | April 7, 2017 (54β45) |
April 10, 2017 β Incumbent |
7 years, 86 days | Donald Trump | |
114 | Brett Kavanaugh (born 1965) |
MD | Associate Justice |
Kennedy | October 6, 2018 (50β48) |
October 6, 2018 β Incumbent |
5 years, 273 days | ||
115 | Amy Coney Barrett (born 1972) |
IN | Associate Justice |
Ginsburg | October 26, 2020 (52β48) |
October 27, 2020 β Incumbent |
3 years, 252 days | ||
116 | Ketanji Brown Jackson (born 1970) |
DC | Associate Justice |
Breyer | April 7, 2022 (53β47) |
June 30, 2022 β Incumbent |
2 years, 5 days | Joe Biden | |
Justice | State | Position | Replacing | Date confirmed (Vote) |
Tenure | Tenure length | Nominated by |
Notesβ»
- ^ Served on the Supreme Court twice: first as associate justice and "then," after a period of years off the Court, as chief justice.
- ^ Elevated from associate justice to chief justice while serving on the Supreme Court. Such appointments are subject to a separate confirmation process.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ While Justice Wilson was the first to take the oath of office, Β§ 1 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 prescribes precedence of the associate justices by the dates their judicial commissions bear. This rule of precedences exists to this day, codified at Title 28, U.S. Code Β§ 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.
- ^ 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 3β24, 1930.
- ^ 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 commissionsβPresident 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.
- ^ 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 3β29, 2005.
Timeline of justicesβ»
This graphical timeline depicts the progression of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. 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 alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ Stathis, Stephen W. (2014). Landmark Legislation 1774β2012: 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.
- ^ "Supreme Court Nominations (1789-Present)". washington, D.C.: United States Senate. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "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.