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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.
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 April 19, 2025, the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas's 33 years, 178 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson's 2 years, 293 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, 178 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, 202 days | George W. Bush |
| 110 |  | Samuel Alito (born 1950) | NJ | Associate Justice | O'Connor | January 31, 2006 (58–42) | January 31, 2006 – Incumbent | 19 years, 78 days | |
| 111 |  | Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954) | NY | Associate Justice | Souter | August 6, 2009 (68–31) | August 8, 2009 – Incumbent | 15 years, 254 days | Barack Obama |
| 112 |  | Elena Kagan (born 1960) | MA | Associate Justice | Stevens | August 5, 2010 (63–37) | August 7, 2010 – Incumbent | 14 years, 255 days | |
| 113 |  | Neil Gorsuch (born 1967) | CO | Associate Justice | Scalia | April 7, 2017 (54–45) | April 10, 2017 – Incumbent | 8 years, 9 days | Donald Trump |
| 114 |  | Brett Kavanaugh (born 1965) | MD | Associate Justice | Kennedy | October 6, 2018 (50–48) | October 6, 2018 – Incumbent | 6 years, 195 days | |
| 115 |  | Amy Coney Barrett (born 1972) | IN | Associate Justice | Ginsburg | October 26, 2020 (52–48) | October 27, 2020 – Incumbent | 4 years, 174 days | |
| 116 |  | Ketanji Brown Jackson (born 1970) | DC | Associate Justice | Breyer | April 7, 2022 (53–47) | June 30, 2022 – Incumbent | 2 years, 293 days | Joe Biden |
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
- List of United States Supreme Court justices by time in office
- List of United States Supreme Court justices by court composition
Notes
- 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, § 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 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.
External links
- Biographies of Justices
- Visual Overview of US Supreme Court Justices 1789–2019
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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 BackgroundThe 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 justicesSince 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 April 19 2025 the length of service for the nine incumbent justices ranges from Clarence Thomas s 33 years 178 days to Ketanji Brown Jackson s 2 years 293 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 178 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 202 days George W Bush 110 Samuel Alito born 1950 NJ Associate Justice O Connor January 31 2006 58 42 January 31 2006 Incumbent 19 years 78 days 111 Sonia Sotomayor born 1954 NY Associate Justice Souter August 6 2009 68 31 August 8 2009 Incumbent 15 years 254 days Barack Obama 112 Elena Kagan born 1960 MA Associate Justice Stevens August 5 2010 63 37 August 7 2010 Incumbent 14 years 255 days 113 Neil Gorsuch born 1967 CO Associate Justice Scalia April 7 2017 54 45 April 10 2017 Incumbent 8 years 9 days Donald Trump 114 Brett Kavanaugh born 1965 MD Associate Justice Kennedy October 6 2018 50 48 October 6 2018 Incumbent 6 years 195 days 115 Amy Coney Barrett born 1972 IN Associate Justice Ginsburg October 26 2020 52 48 October 27 2020 Incumbent 4 years 174 days 116 Ketanji Brown Jackson born 1970 DC Associate Justice Breyer April 7 2022 53 47 June 30 2022 Incumbent 2 years 293 days Joe BidenTimeline of justicesThis 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 alsoLaw of the United States List of courts of the United States List of Supreme Courts by country List of United States Supreme Court justices by time in office List of United States Supreme Court justices by court compositionNotesServed 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 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 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 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 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 ReferencesStathis Stephen W 2014 Landmark Legislation 1774 2012 Major U S Acts and Treaties CQ Press p 122 ISBN 978 1452292298 Hall Kermit L 2005 Judiciary Act of 1869 In Hall Kermit L Ely James W Grossman Joel B eds The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States Oxford University Press p 548 ISBN 978 0195176612 McMillion Barry J Rutkus Denis Steven July 6 2018 Supreme Court Nominations 1789 to 2017 Actions by the Senate the Judiciary Committee and the President PDF Washington D C Congressional Research Service Archived PDF from the original on September 19 2019 Retrieved October 4 2018 Article III Ithaca New York Legal Information Institute Cornell Law School Archived from the original on September 27 2018 Retrieved October 4 2018 About The Supreme Court Administrative Office of the U S Courts Archived from the original on April 12 2010 Retrieved February 17 2010 Supreme Court Research Guide Georgetown Law Library Archived from the original on March 15 2012 Retrieved July 5 2024 Smith Jean Edward July 26 2007 Stacking the Court The New York Times Archived from the original on May 9 2012 Retrieved February 17 2010 Rosen Jeffrey February 26 2008 Dems Choices For Bench Surprisingly Slim CBS News Archived from the original on February 1 2011 Retrieved February 17 2010 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 External linksBiographies of Justices Visual Overview of US Supreme Court Justices 1789 2019