Supreme Court Justices
When the Judiciary Act of 1789 created the U.S. Supreme Court, it consisted of six members: a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices. Over the next several decades, the size of the Court fluctuated before settling at its current size of nine members with the Judiciary Act of 1869.
Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the President nominates a candidate when a vacancy opens on the Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee then considers the nomination. After a pre-hearing investigative stage, it will hold public hearings at which the nominee testifies. These hearings provide insight into the qualifications, background, and judicial philosophy of the nominee, among other matters.
The Judiciary Committee will decide whether to report the nomination favorably to the full Senate, report it unfavorably, or report it without a recommendation. The full Senate will vote on whether to confirm or reject the nominee. (No nominee has been rejected in a Senate vote since 1987, when the Senate rejected Robert Bork after he had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan.) If a nominee is confirmed, they will receive their commission and take two oaths before starting to perform their duties. These are the oath required of federal officials under Article VI of the Constitution, as well as an oath required by the Judiciary Act of 1789.
The Constitution allows a President to appoint a Justice while the Senate is in recess. The Senate still must decide whether to confirm the Justice when it reconvenes. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed three Supreme Court Justices through this method, including Chief Justice Earl Warren. However, recess appointments have been disfavored since then.
At first, the membership of the Court consisted entirely of white Protestant males. Here are some of the pathbreaking Justices whose appointments helped add diversity to the Court:
- First female Justice: Sandra Day O’Connor (joined in 1981)
- First African-American Justice: Thurgood Marshall (joined in 1967)
- First female African-American Justice: Ketanji Brown Jackson (joined in 2022)
- First Hispanic Justice: Sonia Sotomayor (joined in 2009)
- First Catholic Justice: Roger Brooke Taney (joined in 1836)
- First Jewish Justice: Louis Brandeis (joined in 1916)
Justices generally may hold tenure for life, as long as they maintain “good behavior.” Their salaries may not be reduced while they are in office. In theory, a Justice may be removed if they are impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate. Justice Samuel Chase was impeached by the House in 1804, but he was acquitted by the Senate a year later. Chase is the only Justice to have been impeached, and no Justice has ever been removed.
The current Justices on the Supreme Court are:
John Roberts (Chief Justice) | September 29, 2005 | George W. Bush (R) | D.C. Circuit Judge |
Clarence Thomas | October 23, 1991 | George H.W. Bush (R) | D.C. Circuit Judge |
Samuel Alito | January 31, 2006 | George W. Bush (R) | Third Circuit Judge |
Sonia Sotomayor | August 8, 2009 | Barack Obama (D) | Second Circuit Judge |
Elena Kagan | August 7, 2010 | Barack Obama (D) | U.S. Solicitor General |
Neil Gorsuch | April 10, 2017 | Donald Trump (R) | Tenth Circuit Judge |
Brett Kavanaugh | October 6, 2018 | Donald Trump (R) | D.C. Circuit Judge |
Amy Coney Barrett | October 27, 2020 | Donald Trump (R) | Seventh Circuit Judge |
Ketanji Brown Jackson | June 30, 2022 | Joseph Biden (D) | D.C. Circuit Judge |
Below is a list of the Supreme Court Justices who served on the Court of each Chief Justice. (Note that many Associate Justices served with more than one Chief Justice and thus appear more than once here.)
- John Roberts (2005-present)
- John Paul Stevens (1975-2010)
- Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006)
- Antonin Scalia (1986-2016)
- Anthony Kennedy (1988-2018)
- David Souter (1990-2009)
- Clarence Thomas (1991-present)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1993-2020)
- Stephen Breyer (1994-2022)
- Samuel Alito (2006-present)
- Sonia Sotomayor (2009-present)
- Elena Kagan (2010-present)
- Neil Gorsuch (2017-present)
- Brett Kavanaugh (2018-present)
- Amy Coney Barrett (2020-present)
- Ketanji Brown Jackson (2022-present)
- William Rehnquist (1986-2005)
- William Brennan (1956-1990)
- Byron White (1962-1993)
- Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991)
- Harry Blackmun (1970-1994)
- Lewis Powell (1972-1987)
- John Paul Stevens (1975-2010)
- Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006)
- Antonin Scalia (1986-2016)
- Anthony Kennedy (1988-2018)
- David Souter (1990-2009)
- Clarence Thomas (1991-present)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1993-2020)
- Stephen Breyer (1994-2022)
- Warren Burger (1969-1986)
- Hugo Black (1937-1971)
- William Douglas (1939-1975)
- John Harlan II (1955-1971)
- William Brennan (1956-1990)
- Potter Stewart (1958-1981)
- Byron White (1962-1993)
- Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991)
- Harry Blackmun (1970-1994)
- Lewis Powell (1972-1987)
- William Rehnquist (1972-1986)
- John Paul Stevens (1975-2010)
- Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006)
- Earl Warren (1953-1969)
- Hugo Black (1937-1971)
- Stanley Forman Reed (1938-1957)
- Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962)
- William Douglas (1939-1975)
- Robert H. Jackson (1941-1954)
- Harold Hitz Burton (1945-1958)
- Tom C. Clark (1949-1967)
- Sherman Minton (1949-1956)
- John Marshall Harlan II (1955-1971)
- William Brennan (1956-1990)
- Charles Evans Whittaker (1957-1962)
- Potter Stewart (1958-1981)
- Byron White (1962-1993)
- Arthur Goldberg (1962-1965)
- Abe Fortas (1965-1969)
- Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991)
- Fred M. Vinson (1946-1953)
- Hugo Black (1937-1971)
- Stanley Reed (1938-1957)
- Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962)
- William Douglas (1939-1975)
- Frank Murphy (1940-1949)
- Robert H. Jackson (1941-1954)
- Wiley Blount Rutledge (1943-1949)
- Harold Hitz Burton (1945-1958)
- Tom C. Clark (1949-1967)
- Sherman Minton (1949-1956)
- Harlan Fiske Stone (1941-1946)
- Owen Josephus Roberts (1930-1945)
- Hugo Black (1937-1971)
- Stanley Reed (1938-1957)
- Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962)
- William Douglas (1939-1975)
- Frank Murphy (1940-1949)
- James Byrnes (1941-1942)
- Robert H. Jackson (1941-1954)
- Wiley Blount Rutledge (1943-1949)
- Harold Hitz Burton (1945-1958)
- Charles Evans Hughes (1930-1941)
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1902-1932)
- Willis Van Devanter (1911-1937)
- James Clark McReynolds (1914-1941)
- Louis Brandeis (1916-1939)
- George Sutherland (1922-1938)
- Edward Terry Sanford (1923-1930)
- Pierce Butler (1923-1939)
- Harlan Fiske Stone (1925-1946)
- Owen Josephus Roberts (1930-1945)
- Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (1932-1938)
- Hugo Black (1937-1971)
- Stanley Reed (1938-1957)
- Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962)
- William Douglas (1939-1975)
- Frank Murphy (1940-1949)
- William Howard Taft (1921-1930)
- Joseph McKenna (1898-1925)
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1902-1932)
- William Rufus Day (1903-1922)
- Willis Van Devanter (1911-1937)
- Mahlon Pitney (1912-1922)
- James Clark McReynolds (1914-1941)
- John Hessin Clarke (1916-1922)
- Louis Brandeis (1916-1939)
- George Sutherland (1922-1938)
- Edward Terry Sanford (1923-1930)
- Pierce Butler (1923-1939)
- Harlan Fiske Stone (1925-1941)
- Edward Douglass White (1910-1921)
- John Marshall Harlan (1877-1911)
- Joseph McKenna (1898-1925)
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1902-1932)
- William Rufus Day (1903-1922)
- Horace Harmon Lurton (1910-1914)
- Charles Evans Hughes (1910-1916)
- Joseph Rucker Lamar (1911-1916)
- Willis Van Devanter (1911-1937)
- Mahlon Pitney (1912-1922)
- James Clark McReynolds (1914-1941)
- Louis Brandeis (1916-1939)
- John Hessin Clarke (1916-1922)
- Melville Weston Fuller (1888-1910)
- Samuel Freeman Miller (1862-1890)
- Stephen Johnson Field (1863-1897)
- Joseph Bradley (1870-1892)
- John Marshall Harlan (1877-1911)
- Stanley Matthews (1881-1889)
- Samuel Blatchford (1882-1893)
- Horace Gray (1882-1902)
- Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1888-1893)
- David Josiah Brewer (1890-1910)
- Henry Billings Brown (1891-1906)
- George Shiras, Jr. (1892-1903)
- Howell Edmunds Jackson (1893-1895)
- Edward Douglass White (1894-1921)
- Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1896-1909)
- Joseph McKenna (1898-1925)
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1902-1932)
- William Rufus Day (1903-1922)
- William Henry Moody (1906-1910)
- Horace Harmon Lurton (1910-1914)
- Morrison R. Waite (1873-1888)
- Nathan Clifford (1858-1881)
- Samuel Freeman Miller (1862-1890)
- David Davis (1862-1877)
- Noah Haynes Swayne (1862-1881)
- Stephen Johnson Field (1863-1897)
- William Strong (1870-1880)
- Joseph Bradley (1870-1892)
- Ward Hunt (1873-1882)
- John Marshall Harlan (1877-1911)
- William Burnham Woods (1881-1887)
- Stanley Matthews (1881-1889)
- Samuel Blatchford (1882-1893)
- Horace Gray (1882-1902)
- Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1888-1893)
- Salmon Portland Chase (1864-1873)
- James Moore Wayne (1835-1867)
- John Catron (1837-1865)
- Samuel Nelson (1845-1872)
- Robert Cooper Grier (1846-1870)
- Nathan Clifford (1858-1881)
- Samuel Freeman Miller (1862-1890)
- David Davis (1862-1877)
- Noah Haynes Swayne (1862-1881)
- Stephen Johnson Field (1863-1897)
- William Strong (1870-1880)
- Joseph Bradley (1870-1892)
- Ward Hunt (1873-1882)
- Roger Brooke Taney (1836-1864)
- Joseph Story (1812-1845)
- Smith Thompson (1823-1843)
- John McLean (1829-1861)
- Henry Baldwin (1830-1844)
- James Moore Wayne (1835-1867)
- Philip Barbour (1836-1841)
- John Catron (1837-1865)
- John McKinley (1838-1852)
- Peter Vivian Daniel (1842-1860)
- Samuel Nelson (1845-1872)
- Levi Woodbury (1845-1851)
- Robert Cooper Grier (1846-1870)
- Benjamin Curtis (1851-1857)
- John Archibald Campbell (1853-1861)
- Nathan Clifford (1858-1881)
- Noah Haynes Swayne (1862-1881)
- Samuel Freeman Miller (1862-1890)
- David Davis (1862-1877)
- Stephen Johnson Field (1863-1897)
- John Marshall (1801-1835)
- William Cushing (1790-1810)
- William Paterson (1793-1806)
- Samuel Chase (1796-1811)
- Bushrod Washington (1798-1829)
- Alfred Moore (1800-1804)
- William Johnson (1804-1834)
- Henry Brockholst Livingston (1807-1823)
- Thomas Todd (1807-1826)
- Gabriel Duvall (1811-1835)
- Joseph Story (1812-1845)
- Smith Thompson (1823-1843)
- Robert Trimble (1826-1828)
- John McLean (1829-1861)
- Henry Baldwin (1830-1844)
- James Moore Wayne (1835-1867)
- Oliver Ellsworth (1796-1800)
- James Wilson (1789-1798)
- William Cushing (1790-1810)
- James Iredell (1790-1799)
- William Paterson (1793-1806)
- Samuel Chase (1796-1811)
- Bushrod Washington (1798-1829)
- Alfred Moore (1800-1804)
- John Rutledge (1795)
- James Wilson (1789-1798)
- William Cushing (1790-1810)
- John Blair (1790-1795)
- James Iredell (1790-1799)
- William Paterson (1793-1806)
- John Jay (1789-1795)
- James Wilson (1789-1798)
- William Cushing (1790-1810)
- John Blair (1790-1795)
- John Rutledge (1790-1791)
- James Iredell (1790-1799)
- Thomas Johnson (1791-1793)
- William Paterson (1793-1806)