The

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

is the highest ranking

judicial body The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

in the United States. Established by Article III of the Constitution, the detailed structure of the court was laid down by the

1st United States Congress The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in ...

in 1789. Congress specified the Court's original and

appellate jurisdiction A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

, created 13 judicial districts, and fixed the initial size of the Supreme Court. The number of justices on the Supreme Court was changed six times before settling at the present total of nine in 1869. A total of 115 persons have served on the Supreme Court since 1789. Justices have life tenure, and so they serve until they die in office, resign or retire, or are

impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

and removed from office. The

graphical Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...

timeline below lists the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by court composition. As Supreme Court historians categorize eras in the court's history by the name of the presiding chief justice, the timeline is divided into sections, according to who was chief justice at the time. The incumbent associate justices at the start of each court era are listed in order of their seniority at that time. Justices joining the court during an era are listed below them in the order of their appointment. The bars are color-coded to show the changes in seniority among the justices during each era.

List of justices

Jay Court

The Jay Court era, under the leadership of John Jay, lasted from February 2, 1790, when the court held its inaugural session, to June 29, 1795. The

Judiciary Act of 1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 (ch. 20, ) was a United States federal statute enacted on September 24, 1789, during the first session of the First United States Congress. It established the federal judiciary of the United States. Article III, Secti ...

set the number of Supreme Court justices at six: one chief justice and five associate justices. Eight justices served during this court.

Rutledge Court

The Rutledge Court era, under the leadership of

John Rutledge John Rutledge (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice of the United States. Additiona ...

, lasted from August 12, 1795, when Rutledge received a recess appointment from President Washington to serve as chief justice, through 1795, following the U.S. Senate's rejection of his nomination to a lifetime appointment to the chief justice position. Rutledge had previously served on the Court from 1790 to 1791 as an associate justice. Six justices served during this court.

Ellsworth Court

The Ellsworth Court era, under the leadership of Oliver Ellsworth, lasted from March 8, 1796 to December 15, 1800. Eight justices served during this court.

Marshall Court

The Marshall Court era lasted from February 4, 1801 to July 6, 1835. In 1807, Congress passed the Seventh Circuit Act, which added a sixth associate justice to the Supreme Court. 16 justices served during this court.

Taney Court

The Taney Court era, under the leadership of

Roger Taney Roger Brooke Taney (; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was the fifth chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. Although an opponent of slavery, believing it to be an evil practice, Taney belie ...

, lasted from March 28, 1836 to October 12, 1864. Two associate justice seats were added to the court in 1837, as a result of the Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act; another one was added in 1863, by the

Tenth Circuit Act The Tenth Circuit Act of 1863 () was a federal statute which increased the size of the Supreme Court of the United States from nine justices to ten, and which also reorganized the circuit courts of the federal judiciary. The newly created Tenth ...

, enlarging the court to 10 justices. 20 justices served during this court.

Chase Court

The Chase Court era, under the leadership of

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

. lasted from December 15, 1864 to May 7, 1873. Two associate justice seats were abolished as a result of the Judicial Circuits Act of 1866, which provided for the gradual elimination of seats on the court until there would be seven justices. The size of the court was later restored to nine members through the Judiciary Act of 1869. 13 justices served during this court.

Waite Court

The Waite Court era, under the leadership of Morrison Waite, lasted from March 4, 1874 to March 23, 1888. 15 justices served during this court.

Fuller Court

The Fuller Court era, under the leadership of Melville Fuller, lasted from October 10, 1888 to July 4, 1910. 20 justices served during this court.

White Court

The White Court era, under the leadership of Edward Douglass White, lasted from December 19, 1910 to May 19, 1921. White had been an associate Supreme Court justice for at the time of his appointment as chief justice. 13 justices served during this court.

Taft Court

The Taft Court era, under the leadership of William Howard Taft, lasted from July 11, 1921 to February 3, 1930. Taft was also the nation's 27th president (1909–13); he is the only person to serve as both President of the United States and Chief Justice. 13 justices served during this court.

Hughes Court

The Hughes Court era, under the leadership of Charles Evans Hughes, lasted from February 24, 1930 to June 30, 1941. Hughes had previously served on the Court from 1910 to 1916 as an associate justice. 16 justices served during this court.

Stone Court

The Stone Court era, under the leadership of

Harlan F. Stone Harlan Fiske Stone (October 11, 1872 – April 22, 1946) was an American attorney and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1925 to 1941 and then as the 12th chief justice of the United States from 1941 un ...

, lasted from July 3, 1941 to April 22, 1946. Stone had been an associate Supreme Court justice for at the time of his appointment as chief justice. 11 justices served during this court.

Vinson Court

The Vinson Court era, under the leadership of

Fred M. Vinson Frederick "Fred" Moore Vinson (January 22, 1890 – September 8, 1953) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 13th chief justice of the United States from 1946 until his death in 1953. Vinson was one of the few Americans to ...

, lasted from June 24, 1946 to September 8, 1953. 11 justices served during this court.

Warren Court

The Warren Court era, under the leadership of

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

, lasted from October 5, 1953, after Warren received a recess appointment from President Eisenhower to serve as chief justice, to June 23, 1969. 17 justices served during this court.

Burger Court

The Burger Court era, under the leadership of

Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...

, lasted from June 23, 1969 to September 26, 1986. 13 justices, including the retired

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

, served during this court.

Rehnquist Court

The Rehnquist Court era, under the leadership of William Rehnquist, lasted from September 26, 1986 to September 3, 2005. Rehnquist had been an associate Supreme Court justice for at the time of his appointment as chief justice. 14 justices served during this court, including 1 current justice ( Clarence Thomas) and 4 retired justices (O'Connor, David Souter, Anthony Kennedy and

Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and repl ...

Roberts Court

The Roberts Court era, under the leadership of John Roberts, began September 29, 2005 and is ongoing. 16 justices have served during this court.

External links

Decisions and biography by Justice
– Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, New York

– The Supreme Court Historical Society, Washington, D.C.

References

{{SCOTUS horizontal court composition US Supreme Court