The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest ranking judicial body in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Established by Article III of the Constitution, the detailed structure of the court was laid down by the 1st United States Congress in 1789. Congress specified the Court's

original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

and appellate jurisdiction, 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 A life tenure or service during good behaviour is a term of office that lasts for the office holder's lifetime, unless the office holder is removed from office for cause under misbehaving in office, extraordinary circumstances or decides personal ...

, and so they serve until they die in office, resign or retire, or are impeached and removed from office. The graphical 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 The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

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 John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

, lasted from February 2, 1790, when the court held its inaugural session, to June 29, 1795. The Judiciary Act of 1789 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, lasted from August 12, 1795, when Rutledge received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

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 Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States senator from Connecticut ...

, lasted from March 8, 1796 to December 15, 1800. Eight justices served during this court.

Marshall Court

The

Marshall Court The Marshall Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States from 1801 to 1835, when John Marshall served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. Marshall served as Chief Justice until his death, at which point Roger Taney t ...

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, 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, 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. lasted from December 15, 1864 to May 7, 1873. Two associate justice seats were abolished as a result of the

Judicial Circuits Act The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 (ch. 210, ) reorganized the United States circuit courts and provided for the gradual elimination of several seats on the Supreme Court of the United States. It was signed into law on July 23, 1866, by President ...

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 The Judiciary Act of 1869 (41st Congress, Sess. 1, ch. 22, , enacted April 10, 1869), formally An Act to amend the Judicial System of the United States and sometimes called the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, provided that the Supreme Court of the Unite ...

. 13 justices served during this court.

Waite Court

The Waite Court era, under the leadership of

Morrison Waite Morrison Remick "Mott" Waite (November 29, 1816 – March 23, 1888) was an American attorney, jurist, and politician from Ohio. He served as the seventh chief justice of the United States from 1874 until his death in 1888. During his tenur ...

, 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 Melville Weston Fuller (February 11, 1833 – July 4, 1910) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist who served as the eighth chief justice of the United States from 1888 until his death in 1910. Staunch conservatism marked his ...

, 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 Edward Douglass White Jr. (November 3, 1844 – May 19, 1921) was an American politician and jurist from Louisiana. White was a U.S. Supreme Court justice for 27 years, first as an associate justice from 1894 to 1910, then as the ninth chief ...

, 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 William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, lasted from July 11, 1921 to February 3, 1930. Taft was also the nation's 27th

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

(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 Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...

, 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, 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, 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, lasted from October 5, 1953, after Warren received a

from President

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

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, lasted from June 23, 1969 to September 26, 1986. 13 justices, including the retired Sandra Day O'Connor, served during this court.

Rehnquist Court

The Rehnquist Court era, under the leadership of

William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...

, 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 Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 1 ...

) and 4 retired justices (O'Connor,

David Souter David Hackett Souter ( ; born September 17, 1939) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 until his retirement in 2009. Appointed by President George H. W. Bush to fill the seat ...

Anthony Kennedy Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1988 until his retirement in 2018. He was nominated to the court in 1987 by Presid ...

and Stephen Breyer).

Roberts Court

The Roberts Court era, under the leadership of

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...

, 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 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 of ...