List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

Supreme Court Justices List: Dive into the esteemed roster of the Supreme Court of the United States, the pinnacle of the nation’s judicial system. Established by the Judiciary Act of 1869, it comprises the Chief Justice and eight associate justices, each appointed for life by the President, subject to Senate approval. Explore our Current Justices of the Supreme Court for an insightful look at these pivotal figures shaping American law and justice.

List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

US Supreme Court Justices: There have been 116 justices appointed to the Supreme Court since its founding in 1789. The 107 non-incumbent judges have served on the Court for varying lengths of time: William O. Douglas served for 36 years and 209 days, John Rutledge served for 1 year and 18 days as an associate justice, and John Rutledge served for 138 days as chief justice after taking a few years off the Court. The tenure of the nine sitting justices as of November 3, 2023, spans from 32 years, 11 days for Clarence Thomas to 1 year, 126 days for Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Justice	Position	Date Confirmed (Vote)	Tenure	Tenure Length
1. John Jay	Chief Justice	September 26, 1789	October 19, 1789 – June 29, 1795 (Resigned)	5 years, 253 days
2. John Rutledge	Associate Justice	September 26, 1789	February 15, 1790 – March 5, 1791 (Resigned)	1 year, 18 days
3. William Cushing	Associate Justice	September 26, 1789	February 2, 1790 – September 13, 1810 (Died)	20 years, 223 days
4. James Wilson	Associate Justice	September 26, 1789	October 5, 1789 – August 21, 1798 (Died)	8 years, 320 days
5. John Blair	Associate Justice	September 26, 1789	February 2, 1790 – October 25, 1795 (Resigned)	5 years, 265 days
6. James Iredell	Associate Justice	February 10, 1790	May 12, 1790 – October 20, 1799 (Died)	9 years, 161 days
7. Thomas Johnson	Associate Justice	November 7, 1791	September 19, 1791 – January 16, 1793 (Resigned)	1 year, 119 days
8. William Paterson	Associate Justice	March 4, 1793	March 11, 1793 – September 9, 1806 (Died)	13 years, 181 days
9. John Rutledge	Chief Justice	December 15, 1795	August 12, 1795 – December 15, 1795 (Resigned, nomination having been rejected)	138 days
10. Samuel Chase	Associate Justice	January 27, 1796	February 4, 1796 – June 19, 1811 (Died)	15 years, 135 days
11. Oliver Ellsworth	Chief Justice	March 4, 1796	March 8, 1796 – December 15, 1800 (Resigned)	4 years, 282 days
12. Bushrod Washington	Associate Justice	December 20, 1798	November 9, 1798 – November 26, 1829 (Died)	31 years, 17 days
13. Alfred Moore	Associate Justice	December 9, 1799	April 21, 1800 – January 26, 1804 (Resigned)	3 years, 280 days
14. John Marshall	Chief Justice	January 27, 1801	February 4, 1801 – July 6, 1835 (Died)	34 years, 152 days
15. William Johnson	Associate Justice	March 24, 1804	May 7, 1804 – August 4, 1834 (Died)	30 years, 89 days
16. Henry Brockholst Livingston	Associate Justice	December 17, 1806	January 20, 1807 – March 18, 1823 (Died)	16 years, 57 days
17. Thomas Todd	Associate Justice	March 2, 1807	May 4, 1807 – February 7, 1826 (Died)	18 years, 341 days
18. Gabriel Duvall	Associate Justice	November 18, 1811	November 23, 1811 – January 14, 1835 (Resigned)	23 years, 50 days
19. Joseph Story	Associate Justice	November 18, 1811	February 3, 1812 – September 10, 1845 (Died)	33 years, 219 days
20. Smith Thompson	Associate Justice	December 9, 1823	September 1, 1823 – December 18, 1843 (Died)	20 years, 108 days
21. Robert Trimble	Associate Justice	20 years, 108 days	June 16, 1826 – August 25, 1828 (Died)	2 years, 70 days
22. John McLean	Associate Justice	March 7, 1829	March 12, 1829 – April 4, 1861 (Died)	32 years, 23 days
23. Henry Baldwin	Associate Justice	January 6, 1830	January 18, 1830 – April 21, 1844 (Died)	14 years, 94 days
24. James Moore Wayne	Associate Justice	January 9, 1835	January 14, 1835 – July 5, 1867 (Died)	32 years, 172 days
25. Roger B. Taney	Chief Justice	March 15, 1836	March 28, 1836 – October 12, 1864 (Died)	28 years, 198 days
26. Phillip P. Barbour	Associate Justice	March 15, 1836	May 12, 1836 – February 25, 1841 (Died)	4 years, 289 days
27. John Catron	Associate Justice	March 8, 1837	May 1, 1837 – May 30, 1865 (Died)	28 years, 29 days
28. John McKinley	Associate Justice	September 25, 1837	January 9, 1838 – July 19, 1852 (Died)	14 years, 192 days
29. Peter Vivian Daniel	Associate Justice	March 2, 1841	January 10, 1842 – May 31, 1860 (Died)	18 years, 142 days
30. Samuel Nelson	Associate Justice	February 14, 1845	February 27, 1845 – November 28, 1872 (Retired)	27 years, 275 days
31. Levi Woodbury	Associate Justice	January 31, 1846	September 23, 1845 – September 4, 1851 (Died)	5 years, 346 days
32. Robert Cooper Grier	Associate Justice	August 4, 1846	August 10, 1846 – January 31, 1870 (Retired)	23 years, 174 days
33. Benjamin Robbins Curtis	Associate Justice	December 20, 1851	October 10, 1851 – September 30, 1857 (Resigned)	5 years, 355 days
34. John Archibald Campbell	Associate Justice	March 22, 1853	April 11, 1853 – April 30, 1861 (Resigned)	8 years, 19 days
35. Nathan Clifford	Associate Justice	January 12, 1858	January 21, 1858 – July 25, 1881 (Died)	23 years, 185 days
36. Noah Haynes Swayne	Associate Justice	January 24, 1862	January 27, 1862 – January 24, 1881 (Retired)	18 years, 363 days
37. Samuel Freeman Miller	Associate Justice	July 16, 1862	July 21, 1862 – October 13, 1890 (Died	28 years, 84 days
38. David Davis	Associate Justice	December 8, 1862	December 10, 1862 – March 4, 1877 (Resigned)	14 years, 84 days
39. Stephen Johnson Field	Associate Justice	March 10, 1863	May 20, 1863 – December 1, 1897 (Retired)	34 years, 195 days
40. Salmon P. Chase	Chief Justice	December 6, 1864	December 15, 1864 – May 7, 1873 (Died)	8 years, 143 days
41. William Strong	Associate Justice	February 18, 1870	March 14, 1870 – December 14, 1880 (Retired)	10 years, 275 days
42. Joseph P. Bradley	Associate Justice	March 21, 1870	March 23, 1870 – January 22, 1892 (Died)	21 years, 305 days
43. Ward Hunt	Associate Justice	December 11, 1872	January 9, 1873 – January 27, 1882 (Retired)	9 years, 18 days
44. Morrison Waite	Chief Justice	January 21, 1874	March 4, 1874 – March 23, 1888 (Died)	14 years, 19 days
45. John Marshall Harlan	Associate Justice	November 29, 1877	December 10, 1877 – October 14, 1911 (Died)	33 years, 308 days
46. William Burnham Woods	Associate Justice	December 21, 1880	January 5, 1881 – May 14, 1887 (Died)	6 years, 129 days
47. Stanley Matthews	Associate Justice	May 12, 1881	May 17, 1881 – March 22, 1889 (Died)	7 years, 309 days
48. Horace Gray	Associate Justice	December 20, 1881	January 9, 1882 – September 15, 1902 (Died)	20 years, 249 days
49. Samuel Blatchford	Associate Justice	March 22, 1882	April 3, 1882 – July 7, 1893 (Died)	11 years, 95 days
50. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar	Associate Justice	January 16, 1888	January 18, 1888 – January 23, 1893 (Died)	5 years, 5 days
51. Melville Fuller	Chief Justice	July 20, 1888	October 8, 1888 – July 4, 1910 (Died)	21 years, 269 days
52. David J. Brewer	Associate Justice	December 18, 1889	January 6, 1890 – March 28, 1910 (Died)	20 years, 81 days
53. Henry Billings Brown	Associate Justice	December 29, 1890	January 5, 1891 – May 28, 1906 (Retired)	15 years, 143 days
54. George Shiras Jr.	Associate Justice	July 26, 1892	October 10, 1892 – February 23, 1903 (Retired)	10 years, 136 days
55. Howell Edmunds Jackson	Associate Justice	February 18, 1893	March 4, 1893 – August 8, 1895 (Died)	2 years, 157 days
56. Edward Douglass White	Associate Justice	February 19, 1894	March 12, 1894 – December 18, 1910 (Continued as chief justice)	16 years, 281 days
57. Rufus W. Peckham	Associate Justice	December 9, 1895	January 6, 1896 – October 24, 1909 (Died)	13 years, 291 days
58. Joseph McKenna	Associate Justice	January 21, 1898	January 26, 1898 – January 5, 1925 (Retired)	26 years, 345 days
59. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.	Associate Justice	December 4, 1902	December 8, 1902 – January 12, 1932 (Retired)	29 years, 35 days
60. William R. Day	Associate Justice	February 23, 1903	March 2, 1903 – November 13, 1922 (Retired)	19 years, 256 days
61. William Henry Moody	Associate Justice	December 12, 1906	December 17, 1906 – November 20, 1910 (Retired)	3 years, 338 days
62. Horace Harmon Lurton	Associate Justice	December 20, 1909	January 3, 1910 – July 12, 1914 (Died)	4 years, 204 days
63. Charles Evans Hughes	Associate Justice	May 2, 1910	October 10, 1910 – June 10, 1916 (Resigned)	5 years, 244 days
64. Edward Douglass White	Chief Justice	December 12, 1910	December 19, 1910 – May 19, 1921 (Died)	10 years, 151 days
65. Wiilias Van Devanter	Associate Justice	December 15, 1910	January 3, 1911 – June 2, 1937 (Retired)	26 years, 150 days
66. Joseph Rucker Lamar	Associate Justice	December 15, 1910	January 3, 1911 – January 2, 1916 (Died)	4 years, 364 days
67. Mahlon Pitney	Associate Justice	March 13, 1912	March 18, 1912 – December 31, 1922 (Resigned	10 years, 288 days
68. James Clark McReynolds	Associate Justice	August 29, 1914	October 12, 1914 – January 31, 1941 (Retired)	26 years, 111 days
69. Louis Brandies	Associate Justice	June 1, 1916	June 5, 1916 – February 13, 1939 (Retired)	22 years, 253 days
70. John Hessin Clarke	Associate Justice	July 24, 1916	October 9, 1916 – September 18, 1922 (Retired)	5 years, 344 days
71. Wiiliam Howard Taft	Chief Justice	June 30, 1921	July 11, 1921 – February 3, 1930 (Retired)	8 years, 207 days
72. George Sutherland	Associate Justice	September 5, 1922	October 2, 1922 – January 17, 1938 (Retired)	15 years, 107 days
73. Pierce Buttler	Associate Justice	December 21, 1922	January 2, 1923 – November 16, 1939 (Died)	16 years, 318 days
74. Edward Terry Sanford	Associate Justice	January 29, 1923	February 19, 1923 – March 8, 1930 (Died)	7 years, 17 days
75. Harlan F. Stone	Associate Justice	February 5, 1925	March 2, 1925 – July 2, 1941 (Continued as chief justice)	16 years, 122 days
76. Charles Evans Hughes	Chief Justice	February 13, 1930	February 24, 1930 – June 30, 1941 (Retired)	11 years, 126 days
77. Owen Roberts	Associate Justice	May 20, 1930	June 2, 1930 – July 31, 1945 (Resigned)	15 years, 59 days
78. Benjamin N. Cardozo	Associate Justice	February 24, 1932	March 14, 1932 – July 9, 1938 (Died)	6 years, 117 days
79. Hugo Black	Associate Justice	August 17, 1937	August 19, 1937 – September 17, 1971 (Retired)	34 years, 29 days
80. Stanley Forman Reed	Associate Justice	January 25, 1938	January 31, 1938 – February 25, 1957 (Retired)	19 years, 25 days
81. Felix Frankfurter	Associate Justice	January 17, 1939	January 30, 1939 – August 28, 1962 (Retired)	23 years, 210 days
82. William O. Douglas	Associate Justice	April 4, 1939	April 17, 1939 – November 12, 1975 (Retired)	36 years, 209 days
83. Frank Murphy	Associate Justice	January 16, 1940	February 5, 1940 – July 19, 1949 (Died)	9 years, 164 days
84. Harlan F. Stone	Chief Justice	June 27, 1941	July 3, 1941 – April 22, 1946 (Died)	4 years, 293 days
85. James F. Byrnes	Associate Justice	June 12, 1941	July 8, 1941 – October 3, 1942 (Resigned)	1 year, 87 days
86. Robert H. Jackson	Associate Justice	July 7, 1941	July 11, 1941 – October 9, 1954 (Died)	13 years, 90 days
87. Wiley Blount Rutledge	Associate Justice	February 8, 1943	February 15, 1943 – September 10, 1949 (Died)	6 years, 207 days
88. Harold Hitz Burton	Associate Justice	September 19, 1945	October 1, 1945 – October 13, 1958 (Retired)	13 years, 12 days
89. Fred M. Vinson	Associate Justice	June 20, 1946	June 24, 1946 – September 8, 1953 (Died)	7 years, 76 days
90. Tom C. Clark	Associate Justice	August 18, 1949	August 24, 1949 – June 12, 1967 (Retired)	17 years, 292 days
91. Sherman Minton	Associate Justice	October 4, 1949	October 12, 1949 – October 15, 1956 (Retired)	7 years, 3 days
92. Earl Warren	Chief Justice	March 1, 1954	October 5, 1953 – June 23, 1969 (Retired)	15 years, 261 days
93. John Marshall Harlan II	Associate Justice	March 16, 1955	March 28, 1955 – September 23, 1971 (Retired)	16 years, 179 days
94. William J. Brennan Jr.	Associate Justice	March 19, 1957	October 16, 1956 – July 20, 1990 (Retired)	33 years, 277 days
95. Charles Evans Whitekkar	Associate Justice	March 19, 1957	March 25, 1957 – March 31, 1962 (Retired)	5 years, 6 days
96. Potter Stewart	Associate Justice	May 5, 1959	October 14, 1958 – July 3, 1981 (Retired)	22 years, 262 days
97. Byron White	Associate Justice	April 11, 1962	April 16, 1962 – June 28, 1993 (Retired)	31 years, 73 days
98. Arthur Goldberg	Associate Justice	September 25, 1962	October 1, 1962 – July 25, 1965 (Resigned)	2 years, 297 days
99. Abe Fortas	Associate Justice	August 11, 1965	October 4, 1965 – May 14, 1969 (Resigned)	3 years, 222 days
100. Thurgood Marshall	Associate Justice	August 30, 1967	October 2, 1967 – October 1, 1991 (Retired)	23 years, 364 days
101. Warren E. Burger	Chief Justice	June 9, 1969	June 23, 1969 – September 26, 1986 (Retired)	17 years, 95 days
102. Harry Blackmun	Associate Justice	May 12, 1970	June 9, 1970 – August 3, 1994 (Retired)	24 years, 55 days
103. Lewis F. Powell Jr.	Associate Justice	December 6, 1971	January 7, 1972 – June 26, 1987 (Retired)	15 years, 170 days
104. William Rehnquist	Associate Justice	December 10, 1971	January 7, 1972 – September 26, 1986 (Continued as chief justice)	14 years, 262 days
105. John Paul Stevens	Associate Justice	December 17, 1975	December 19, 1975 – June 29, 2010 (Retired)	34 years, 192 days
106. Sandra Day O’Connor	Associate Justice	September 21, 1981	September 25, 1981 – January 31, 2006 (Retired)	24 years, 128 days
107. William Rehnquist	Chief Justice	September 17, 1986	September 26, 1986 – September 3, 2005 (Died)	18 years, 342 days
108. Antonin Scalia	Associate Justice	September 17, 1986	September 26, 1986 – February 13, 2016 (Died)	29 years, 140 days
109. Anthony Kennedy	Associate Justice	February 3, 1988	February 18, 1988 – July 31, 2018 (Retired)	30 years, 163 days
110. David Souter	Associate Justice	October 2, 1990	October 9, 1990 – June 29, 2009 (Retired)	18 years, 263 days
111. Clarence Thomas	Associate Justice	October 15, 1991	October 23, 1991 – Incumbent	32 years, 11 days
112. Ruth Bader Ginsberg	Associate Justice	August 3, 1993	August 10, 1993 – September 18, 2020 (Died)	27 years, 39 days
113. Stephen Breyer	Associate Justice	July 29, 1994	August 3, 1994 – June 30, 2022 (Retired)	27 years, 331 days
114. John Roberts	Chief Justice	September 29, 2005	September 29, 2005 – Incumbent	18 years, 35 days
115. Samuel Alito	Associate Justice	January 31, 2006	January 31, 2006 – Incumbent	17 years, 276 days
116. Sonia Sotomayor	Associate Justice	August 6, 2009	August 8, 2009 – Incumbent	14 years, 87 days
117. Elena Kagan	Associate Justice	August 5, 2010	August 7, 2010 – Incumbent	13 years, 88 days
118. Neil Gorsuch	Associate Justice	April 7, 2017	April 10, 2017 – Incumbent	6 years, 207 days
119. Brett Kavanaugh	Associate Justice	October 6, 2018	October 6, 2018 – Incumbent	5 years, 28 days
120. Amy Coney Barrett	Associate Justice	October 26, 2020	October 27, 2020 – Incumbent	3 years, 7 days
121. Ketanji Brown Jackson	Associate Justice	April 7, 2022	June 30, 2022 – Incumbent	1 year, 126 days

Supreme Court Justices 2024: The Supreme Court of the United States, with its nine justices, remains a cornerstone of American democracy. Its impact on the nation’s laws and policies is immeasurable, and the justices who serve on it play a pivotal role in shaping the legal landscape for generations. As time goes on, it is vital to stay informed about the ever-evolving composition of the Court and the implications it holds for the United States and its citizens.

How many Supreme Court Justices are there in the United States?

There are nine members of the United States Supreme Court: One chief justice and eight associate justices. The size of the Supreme Court and the roles held by its members are not specified by the U.S. Constitution.

Current Chief Justice of the United States

The current Chief Justice of the United States is John G. Roberts, Jr. He was born on January 27, 1955, in Buffalo, New York. Josephine and Jack are their two children. He wed Jane Sullivan in 1996. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979 with a J.D. and Harvard College in 1976 with an A.B.

Background of the Supreme Court of the United States

Organized by the First United States Congress, the Supreme Court was established by Article III of the United States Constitution, which states that the “judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court.” Congress established thirteenth judicial districts, defined the Court’s original and appellate jurisdiction, and set the number of justices at six (one chief justice and five associate justices) with the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Congress has periodically changed the size of the Supreme Court since 1789, usually in reaction to the nation’s own population growth. When the Court’s next vacancy occurred, an 1801 legislation would have reduced its membership to five members. But before any such vacancy happened, 1802 legislation reversed the effects of the 1801 legislation affecting the Court, keeping the Court’s membership at six. Its membership was subsequently enlarged by law to seven in 1803, nine in 1837, and ten in 1863. Two vacancies did occur during this time, and an 1866 legislation was supposed to have lowered the Court’s strength from ten members to seven upon its subsequent three vacancies.

Nomination Process of Supreme Court Justices in the US

A. Presidential Nomination:

• The President nominates a candidate for a Supreme Court vacancy, exercising their power under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.
• The nomination process is often shrouded in secrecy, involving consultations with advisors, senators, and interest groups.
• The President typically seeks a nominee who shares their judicial philosophy and will uphold their administration’s priorities.
• Once selected, the nominee’s background, legal career, and political leanings are scrutinized by the media and public.

B. Senate Confirmation Hearings:

• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds public hearings to consider the nominee’s qualifications and suitability for the lifetime appointment.
• Committee members, representing both parties, question the nominee on their legal views, rulings, and potential impact on the Court.
• The hearings are often contentious, with witnesses testifying for and against the nominee, and protests erupting outside the Capitol.
• The Committee then votes on whether to recommend the nominee’s confirmation to the full Senate.

C. Full Senate Vote and Confirmation:

• The full Senate debates the nomination after receiving the Committee’s recommendation.
• Senators can speak for or against the nominee, discussing their legal record, judicial philosophy, and potential impact on the Court’s balance.
• A simple majority vote is required for confirmation, with the Vice President breaking ties.
• Confirmation is a highly political process, often influenced by partisan considerations and public opinion.

Tenure of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

• Supreme Court Justices are appointed for lifetime tenure. Although being appointed for life, many Supreme Court judges have left the court or retired.
• Many justices who retired from the Court without completely quitting the federal judiciary did so willingly starting in the early 20th century.
• As per the United States Code, a retired justice is no longer an active member of the Supreme Court. However, they can still serve as a judge of a U.S. Court of Appeals or District Court, a role that many retired justices have filled.
• Less than 15 years have been served on the Court on average in the past. Nonetheless, the average tenure has grown to almost 26 years since 1970.

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Conclusion

Concluding our exploration of the ‘Supreme Court Justices List,’ we’ve delved into the profiles of the current justices of the Supreme Court, offering a comprehensive view of the individuals who shape the highest judicial authority in the United States. This list not only reflects the present composition but also echoes the historical evolution of the court. As we look at the ‘US Supreme Court Justices’ through the years, including the ‘Supreme Court Justices 2024,’ we gain insights into the dynamic nature of legal interpretations and decisions that have profound impacts on American law and society. The ‘Historical Supreme Court Justices’ section provides a deeper understanding of how past justices have influenced today’s legal landscape. This article serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in the workings of the United States’ judiciary and its pivotal role in shaping the nation’s future.

FAQs – Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

1. Who are the 9 current Supreme Court Justices?

Current 9 members of the Supreme Court of the United States are: John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, and 8 associate justices are Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

2. How many Justices are on the United States Supreme Court?

There are nine members of the United States Supreme Court: One chief justice and eight associate justices. The size of the Supreme Court and the roles held by its members are not specified by the U.S. Constitution.

3. Who is the Longest Supreme Court Justice?

Clarence Thomas, a current Supreme Court Justice, is the fourteenth longest serving Justice, having served for slightly over 31.5 years as of May 2023. William O. Douglas is the longest serving Justice, having served for 36 years and 209 days.

4. Who is the Last Person Appointed to the US Supreme Court?

President Joe Biden (D) nominated Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on February 28, 2022, and the Senate confirmed him on April 7, 2022.

5. Who are the 4 Female Supreme Court Justices?

Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice; Elena Kagan, Associate Justice; Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice; Ketanji Brown Jackson, Associate Justice are the four female Supreme Court Justices.