Misplaced Pages

This article is part of a series on the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Court
History Procedures Nomination and confirmation Judiciary Committee review Demographics Ideological leanings of justices Lists of decisions Supreme Court building
Current membership
Chief Justice John Roberts Associate justices Clarence Thomas Samuel Alito Sonia Sotomayor Elena Kagan Neil Gorsuch Brett Kavanaugh Amy Coney Barrett Ketanji Brown Jackson Retired justices Anthony Kennedy David Souter Stephen Breyer
Lists of justices
List of all justices by court by time in office by seat by education List of chief justices List of associate justices Specialty lists All nominations Unsuccessful nominations Confirmation votes Justices who served in Congress Burial places of justices
Court functionaries
Clerks Reporter of Decisions Marshal of the Court Supreme Court Police
Other countries Law Portal
v t e

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.

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," 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 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.

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 December 20, 2024, the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas's 33 years, 58 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson's 2 years, 173 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
No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)
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 – March 5, 1791 (Resigned)	1 year, 18 days
3		William Cushing (1732–1810)	MA	Associate Justice	Inaugural	September 26, 1789 (Acclamation)	February 2, 1790 – September 13, 1810 (Died)	20 years, 223 days
4		James Wilson (1742–1798)	PA	Associate Justice	Inaugural	September 26, 1789 (Acclamation)	October 5, 1789 – August 21, 1798 (Died)	8 years, 320 days
5		John Blair (1732–1800)	VA	Associate Justice	Inaugural	September 26, 1789 (Acclamation)	February 2, 1790 – 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 – 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)	August 12, 1795 – December 15, 1795 (Resigned, nomination having been rejected)	138 days
9		Samuel Chase (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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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	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	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 – 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 – 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	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	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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – September 26, 1986 (Continued as chief justice)	14 years, 262 days
101		John Paul Stevens (1920–2019)	IL	Associate Justice	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, 58 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, 82 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, 324 days
111		Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954)	NY	Associate Justice	Souter	August 6, 2009 (68–31)	August 8, 2009 – Incumbent	15 years, 134 days	Barack Obama
112		Elena Kagan (born 1960)	MA	Associate Justice	Stevens	August 5, 2010 (63–37)	August 7, 2010 – Incumbent	14 years, 135 days
113		Neil Gorsuch (born 1967)	CO	Associate Justice	Scalia	April 7, 2017 (54–45)	April 10, 2017 – Incumbent	7 years, 254 days	Donald Trump
114		Brett Kavanaugh (born 1965)	MD	Associate Justice	Kennedy	October 6, 2018 (50–48)	October 6, 2018 – Incumbent	6 years, 75 days
115		Amy Coney Barrett (born 1972)	IN	Associate Justice	Ginsburg	October 26, 2020 (52–48)	October 27, 2020 – Incumbent	4 years, 54 days
116		Ketanji Brown Jackson (born 1970)	DC	Associate Justice	Breyer	April 7, 2022 (53–47)	June 30, 2022 – Incumbent	2 years, 173 days	Joe Biden

Notes

1. ^ Served on the Supreme Court twice: first as associate justice and then, after a period of years off the Court, as chief justice.
2. ^ Elevated from associate justice to chief justice while serving on the Supreme Court. Such appointments are subject to a separate confirmation process.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ 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.
7. 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.
8. Was impeached, but not convicted, and remained in office.
9. Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, May 19 – July 11, 1921.
10. Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, February 3–24, 1930.
11. ^ 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.
12. Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, June 30 – July 3, 1941.
13. Acted as chief justice under 36 Stat. 1152, April 22 – June 24, 1946, and again, under 62 Stat. 869, September 8 – October 5, 1953.
14. ^ 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.
15. 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. 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

• Law of the United States
• List of courts of the United States
• List of supreme courts by country

References

1. Stathis, Stephen W. (2014). Landmark Legislation 1774–2012: Major U.S. Acts and Treaties. CQ Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-1452292298.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. "Article III". Ithaca, New York: Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
5. "About The Supreme Court". Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
6. "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. ^ "Supreme Court Nominations (1789-Present)". washington, D.C.: United States Senate. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
10. ^ "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

• Biographies of Justices
• Visual Overview of US Supreme Court Justices 1789–2019

v t e Supreme Court of the United States
The court	Lists of cases Court demographics Ideological leanings Nomination and confirmation
Procedures	Amicus curiae brief Certiorari Cert. before judgment Cert. dismissed as improvidently granted Grant, vacate, remand Shadow docket In-chambers opinion
Current members	Chief justice: John Roberts Associate justices: Clarence Thomas Samuel Alito Sonia Sotomayor Elena Kagan Neil Gorsuch Brett Kavanaugh Amy Coney Barrett Ketanji Brown Jackson
Retired justices	Anthony Kennedy David Souter Stephen Breyer
History	Jay Court (1789–1795) Rutledge Court (1795) Ellsworth Court (1796–1800) Marshall Court (1801–1835) Taney Court (1836–1864) Chase Court (1864–1873) Waite Court (1874–1888) Fuller Court (1888–1910) White Court (1910–1921) Taft Court (1921–1930) Hughes Court (1930–1941) Stone Court (1941–1946) Vinson Court (1946–1953) Warren Court (1953–1969) Burger Court (1969–1986) Rehnquist Court (1986–2005) Roberts Court (2005–present)
Lists of justices and nominees	Chief justices Associate justices All justices court education seat time in office All nominations unsuccessful Justices who served in Congress Burial places of justices
Statutes affecting court size	Judiciary Act of 1789 Judiciary Act of 1801 Judiciary Act of 1802 Seventh Circuit Act of 1807 Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837 Tenth Circuit Act of 1863 Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 Judiciary Act of 1869
Functionaries	Clerk Marshal Supreme Court Police Reporter of Decisions Law clerk lists: Chief Justice Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4 Seat 6 Seat 8 Seat 9 Seat 10
Location	Supreme Court Building Former: Royal Exchange, New York City Old City Hall, Philadelphia Old Supreme Court Chamber, U.S. Capitol Old Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol
Related	Article III, U.S. Constitution original jurisdiction Camera policy Code of Conduct for Justices Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 Lochner era Impeachment of Samuel Chase Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court Supreme Court in fiction Supreme Court leaks United States Reports Lawyers' Edition United States Solicitor General
Other countries United States portal Law portal

• Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Lists of United States Supreme Court justices
• Lists of supreme court justices