Beaver Street Gallery |
|
HOME I CURRENT SHOWS I ARCHIVE I
BETA ARCHIVE I GALLERY COLLECTION I ARTIST LIST I D.B. HARTON
PORTFOLIO I BSG PRESS I INFORMATION I CONTACT US |
|
|
The People's Business
(A Time for Change)
|
|
| |
|
The Supreme
Court
|
|
|
|
The number of Supreme
Court judges is currently set at nine.
This number is set by Congress and has varied through our
history from five to ten.
One member is designated the
Chief Justice and the others are Associate Justices.
The Senate is
responsible for confirming the President's nominees for the
Supreme Court.
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Article III of the
Constitution declares that Supreme Court judges (and other
federal judges) “shall hold their offices during good
behaviour.”
Thus a judge may only
be removed by resignation, death, or impeachment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
There have been a
total of
112 people confirmed by the Senate as Supreme Court judges.
63 of them (56%)
have left office by resigning.
|
|
Some of our Supreme
Court justices seem to have taken their lifetime terms quite
seriously.
49 out of 112
(44%) have died while serving,
though this has become less common in the years after World War
I.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Only one justice has
ever been impeached.
In 1805 Samuel Chase
was tried for letting his partisan political opinions influence
his decisions. He
was acquitted of all charges and went on to serve six more years
until his death.
|
|
|
| |
|
Based on data from the
Supreme Court Historical Society located at http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/
|
| |
|
| |
| |
Not counting the currently serving justices, the average years
served on the Court is
17
and the average age of a justice
leaving the court is
70.
|
|
Since 1975, the
average age of a justice leaving the court has jumped from an average of
67 years to
79 years, and the average length of service has increased from
15 to 26
years.
|
|
| |
|
Based on data from the
Supreme Court Historical Society located at http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/
|
| |
|
| |
| |
A
justice named to the Supreme Court by the President today
will potentially affect the
direction of the country for the next
quarter century or more.
But how will the
world be different 25 years from now?
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Leaving Court:
|
|
Quarter-Century
|
# of Justices
Leaving Court
|
# Retired
|
# Died
|
Average Age
|
Average Years
Served
|
|
|
|
2000 - 2025
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
79
|
28
|
|
|
|
1975 - 1999
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
79
|
25
|
|
|
|
1950 – 1974
|
13
|
11
|
2
|
69
|
14
|
|
|
|
1925 - 1949
|
16
|
10
|
6
|
73
|
17
|
|
|
|
1900 – 1924
|
14
|
6
|
8
|
70
|
15
|
|
|
|
1875 - 1899
|
14
|
5
|
9
|
71
|
15
|
|
|
|
1850 - 1874
|
12
|
4
|
8
|
71
|
19
|
|
|
|
1825 - 1849
|
10
|
1
|
9
|
67
|
21
|
|
|
|
1800 - 1824
|
6
|
2
|
4
|
63
|
12
|
|
|
|
1775 - 1799
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
55
|
6
|
|
|
| |
|
Based on data from the
Supreme Court Historical Society located at http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/
|
| |
|
| |
|
Oldest Justices (by age leaving court):
|
|
Justice
|
Born In
|
Joined Court
|
At Age
|
Left Court
|
At Age
|
Years Served
|
|
|
|
Oliver Holmes
|
1841
|
1902
|
61
|
1932
|
91
|
30
|
|
|
|
John Paul Stevens
|
1920
|
1975
|
55
|
2010
|
90
|
35
|
|
|
|
Roger Taney
|
1777
|
1836
|
59
|
1864
|
87
|
28
|
|
|
|
Harry Blackmun
|
1908
|
1970
|
62
|
1994
|
86
|
24
|
|
|
|
Hugo Black
|
1886
|
1937
|
51
|
1971
|
85
|
34
|
|
|
|
William Brennan, Jr.
|
1906
|
1957
|
51
|
1990
|
84
|
33
|
|
|
|
Thurgood Marshall
|
1908
|
1967
|
59
|
1991
|
83
|
24
|
|
|
|
Gabriel Duvall
|
1752
|
1811
|
59
|
1835
|
83
|
24
|
|
|
|
Louis Brandeis
|
1856
|
1916
|
60
|
1939
|
82
|
22
|
|
|
|
Joseph McKenna
|
1843
|
1898
|
55
|
1925
|
82
|
27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KEY: |
Chief Justice, Died in Office,
Chief Justice Died in Office |
|
|
| |
|
Longest-Serving Justices:
|
|
Justice
|
Born In
|
Joined Court
|
At Age
|
Left Court
|
At Age
|
Years Served
|
|
|
|
William Douglas
|
1898
|
1939
|
41
|
1975
|
77
|
36
|
|
|
|
John Paul Stevens
|
1920
|
1975
|
55
|
2010
|
90
|
35
|
|
|
|
Hugo Black
|
1886
|
1937
|
51
|
1971
|
85
|
34
|
|
|
|
Stephen Field
|
1816
|
1863
|
47
|
1897
|
81
|
34
|
|
|
|
John Marshall
|
1755
|
1801
|
46
|
1835
|
80
|
34
|
|
|
|
John Harlan
|
1833
|
1877
|
44
|
1911
|
78
|
34
|
|
|
|
William Brennan, Jr.
|
1906
|
1957
|
51
|
1990
|
84
|
33
|
|
|
|
William Rehnquist
|
1924
|
1972
|
48
|
2005
|
81
|
33
|
|
|
|
Joseph Story
|
1779
|
1812
|
33
|
1845
|
66
|
33
|
|
|
|
James Wayne
|
1790
|
1835
|
45
|
1867
|
77
|
32
|
|
|
|
John McLean
|
1785
|
1829
|
44
|
1861
|
76
|
32
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KEY: |
Chief Justice, Died in Office,
Chief Justice Died in Office |
|
|
| |
|
Years Serving:
|
|
Years Serving
|
# of Justices
|
Current Justices
|
|
|
|
Over 34
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
30 - 34
|
14
|
|
|
|
|
25 - 29
|
10
|
1
|
|
|
|
20 - 24
|
17
|
2
|
|
|
|
15 - 19
|
20
|
2
|
|
|
|
10 - 14
|
11
|
|
|
|
|
5 - 9
|
25
|
2
|
|
|
|
Under 5
|
13
|
2
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
112
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Based on data from the
Supreme Court Historical Society located at http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/
|
|
|
| |
|
Yougest Justices (by age joining court):
|
|
Justice
|
Born In
|
Joined Court
|
At Age
|
Left Court
|
At Age
|
Years Served
|
|
|
|
William Johnson
|
1771
|
1804
|
33
|
1834
|
63
|
30
|
|
|
|
Joseph Story
|
1779
|
1812
|
33
|
1845
|
66
|
33
|
|
|
|
Bushrod Washington
|
1762
|
1798
|
36
|
1829
|
67
|
31
|
|
|
|
James Iredell
|
1751
|
1790
|
39
|
1799
|
48
|
9
|
|
|
|
William Douglas
|
1898
|
1939
|
41
|
1975
|
77
|
36
|
|
|
|
Benjamin Curtis
|
1809
|
1851
|
42
|
1857
|
48
|
6
|
|
|
|
John Campbell
|
1811
|
1853
|
42
|
1861
|
50
|
8
|
|
|
|
Thomas Todd
|
1765
|
1807
|
42
|
1826
|
61
|
19
|
|
|
|
Clarence Thomas
|
1948
|
1991
|
43
|
|
|
21
|
|
|
|
John Jay
|
1745
|
1789
|
44
|
1795
|
50
|
6
|
|
|
|
Potter Stewart
|
1915
|
1959
|
44
|
1981
|
66
|
22
|
|
|
|
John McLean
|
1785
|
1829
|
44
|
1861
|
76
|
32
|
|
|
|
John Harlan
|
1833
|
1877
|
44
|
1911
|
78
|
34
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KEY: |
Chief Justice, Died in Office,
Chief Justice Died in Office |
|
|
| |
|
Based on data from the
Supreme Court Historical Society located at http://www.supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-court/
|
| |
|
