List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
List of members of the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States
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
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,"[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
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 May 31, 2024, the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas 's 32 years, 221 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson 's 1 year, 336 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
32 years, 221 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
18 years, 245 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, 121 days
111
Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954)
NY
Associate Justice
Souter
August 6, 2009 (68–31)
August 8, 2009 – Incumbent
14 years, 297 days
Barack Obama
112
Elena Kagan (born 1960)
MA
Associate Justice
Stevens
August 5, 2010 (63–37)
August 7, 2010 – Incumbent
13 years, 298 days
113
Neil Gorsuch (born 1967)
CO
Associate Justice
Scalia
April 7, 2017 (54–45)
April 10, 2017 – Incumbent
7 years, 51 days
Donald Trump
114
Brett Kavanaugh (born 1965)
MD
Associate Justice
Kennedy
October 6, 2018 (50–48)
October 6, 2018 – Incumbent
5 years, 238 days
115
Amy Coney Barrett (born 1972)
IN
Associate Justice
Ginsburg
October 26, 2020 (52–48)
October 27, 2020 – Incumbent
3 years, 217 days
116
Ketanji Brown Jackson (born 1970)
DC
Associate Justice
Breyer
April 7, 2022 (53–47)
June 30, 2022 – Incumbent
1 year, 336 days
Joe Biden
Justice
State[c]
Position
Replacing
Date confirmed (Vote)
Tenure
Tenure length
Nominated by
Notes
^ 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 precedences 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
This 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
References
^ 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 February 17, 2010 .
^ 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 .
External links