History of the Supreme Court
This federal judiciary article needs to be expanded.
| “ | The judges … are held in very high esteem. Being entirely dependent on public opinion, they need to make continual efforts to keep this esteem…. I look on the judges … as the regulators of the irregular movements of our democracy, and as those who maintain the equilibrium of the system. --Albert Gallatin, in a conversation with Alexis de Tocqueville |
” |
Background
The United States Supreme Court was established under Article III of the Constitution of the United States. The Article also granted United States Congress the authority to establish courts of lesser import, as needed. It wasn't until the Judiciary Act of 1789, which specified the jurisdiction of the lesser courts, that the role of the judicial branch took on greater meaning.
The law [Article III] created 13 district courts in principal cities, with one judge apiece, and three circuit courts to cover the other areas of the eastern, middle and southern United States. Above these it set a Supreme Court, with a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices, as the only court of appeals.[1]
The Initial Years: The Jay Court (1789-1795)
On February 2, 1790 the Supreme Court convened at the Royal Exchange Building in New York for its very first session.
The inaugural Supreme Court was comprised of the Chief Justice--John Jay of New York--and five associate justices: John Blair, William Cushing, James Wilson, James Iredell and John Rutledge.
President Washington appointed these men based upon legal capabilities, while also hoping to off-set regional jealousies and establish sectional neutrality by choosing minds from across the new country.[1]
The Supreme Court's role for the next eleven years was subdued, as leading statesmen tested the waters of checks and balances established within the new republic. Unfortunately, thanks to a haphazard order of operations, misleading court accounts, and the War of 1812, much of what we know about the court's first decade is paltry.
In 1795, the courts began requiring lawyers to submit the "material points" of their arguments. Until then, cases were argued verbally, and documentation was sparse-to-none. The justices themselves did not issue written judgments, but rather announced their decisions from the bench.
There was no official reporter, just a freelance Philadelphia lawyer named Alexander James Dallas, whose courtroom accounts often proved misleading. For example, in the 1798 case of Wilson v. Daniel, Dallas reported that the Supreme Court affirmed a prior trial court's ruling; in reality, the Court had done just the opposite.[2]
It wasn't until John Marshall joined the bench in 1801 that the court took on a more orderly shape, and became a significant participant in American democracy.
The Marshall Court (1801-1835)
The appointment of John Marshall as the fourth Supreme Court Chief Justice (preceded by John Jay, John Rutledge, and Oliver Ellsworth) can be considered a turning point for the American judiciary. Prior to his appointment, the court was easily--and understandably--the weakest member of America's tribune government. An eleventh hour appointment by then-President John Adams, Marshall's nomination was confirmed by the Senate on January 27, 1801. His tenure as Chief Justice would last until 1835 - the longest in Supreme Court history. According to the Supreme Court's biography, "Chief Justice Marshall's vigorous and able leadership in the formative years of the Court was central to the development of its prominent role in American government."[3]
As Chief Justice, Marshall presided over some of the most storied and formative legal cases in American history. Among them were: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Cohens v. Virginia, and Gibbons v. Ogden.
See also
External links
- History of the Supreme Court
- Members of the Supreme Court of the United States
- The Court and Constitutional Interpretation
- The Court and Its Traditions
- The Court and Its Procedures
References
| Tenure | Chief Justice | Associate Justices | Nominated By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1789-1795 | John Jay | James Wilson, John Blair, James Iredell, William Cushing, Thomas Johnson, William Paterson | George Washington |
| 1795 | John Rutledge | James Wilson, John Blair, James Iredell, William Cushing, Thomas Johnson, William Paterson, Samuel Chase | George Washington |
| 1796-1800 | Oliver Ellsworth | James Wilson, John Blair, James Iredell, William Cushing, William Paterson, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washington, Alfred Moore | George Washington |
| 1801-1835 | John Marshall | William Cushing, William Paterson, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washington, Alfred Moore, H. Brockholst Livingston, Thomas Todd, Gabriel Duvall, Joseph Story, Smith Thompson, Robert Trimble, Henry Baldwin, John McLean, James Moore Wayne | John Adams |
| 1836-1864 | Roger Brooke Taney | Joseph Story, Smith Thompson, Robert Trimble, Henry Baldwin, John McLean, James Moore Wayne, Philip Pendelton Barbour, John Catron, John McKinley, Peter Vivian Daniel, Levi Woodbury, Samuel Nelson, Robert Cooper Grier, Benjamin Robbins Curtis, John Archibald Campbell, Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Noah Haynes Swayne, Stephen Johnson Field | Andrew Jackson |
| 1864-1873 | Salmon Portland Chase | James Moore Wayne, John Catron, Samuel Nelson, Robert Cooper Grier, Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Noah Haynes Swayne, Stephen Johnson Field, William Strong, Joseph Bradley, Ward Hunt, John Marshall Harlan | Abraham Lincoln |
| 1874-1888 | Morrison Waite | Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Noah Haynes Swayne, Stephen Johnson Field, William Strong, Joseph Bradley, Ward Hunt, John Marshall Harlan, William Burnham Woods, Stanley Matthews, Samuel Blatchford, Horace Gray, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar | Ulysses S. Grant |
| 1888-1910 | Melville Weston Fuller | Stephen Johnson Field, Joseph Bradley, John Marshall Harlan, Stanley Matthews, Samuel Blatchford, Horace Gray, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, David Josiah Brewer, Henry Billings Brown, George Shiras, Howell Edmunds Jackson, Rufus Wheeler Peckham, Joseph McKenna, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., William Rufus Day, William Henry Moody, Horace Harmon Lurton | Grover Cleveland |
| 1910-1921 | Edward Douglass White | Joseph McKenna, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., William Rufus Day, Horace Harmon Lurton, Joseph Rucker Lamar, Willis Van Devanter, Mahlon Pitney, James Clark McReynolds, John Hessin Clarke, Louis Brandeis | William Howard Taft |
| 1921-1930 | William Taft | Joseph McKenna, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., William Rufus Day, Willis Van Devanter, Mahlon Pitney, James Clark McReynolds, John Hessin Clarke, Louis Brandeis, George Sutherland, Edward Sanford, Pierce Butler, Owen Josephus Roberts | Warren Harding |
| 1930-1941 | Charles Evans Hughes | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Willis Van Devanter, James Clark McReynolds, Louis Brandeis, George Sutherland, Edward Sanford, Pierce Butler, Owen Josephus Roberts, Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, Hugo Black, Stanley Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William Douglas, Frank Murphy | Herbert Hoover |
| 1941-1946 | Harlan Fiske Stone | Owen Josephus Roberts, Hugo Black, Stanley Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William Douglas, Frank Murphy, James Byrnes, Robert Jackson, Wiley Rutledge, Harold Burton | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1946-1953 | Fred M. Vinson | Hugo Black, Stanley Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William Douglas, Frank Murphy, Robert Jackson, Wiley Rutledge, Harold Burton, Sherman Minton, Tom Clark | Harry S. Truman |
| 1953-1969 | Earl Warren | Hugo Black, Stanley Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William Douglas, Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, Sherman Minton, Tom Clark, John Harlan, William Brennan, Charles Whittaker, Potter Stewart, Arthur Goldberg, Byron White, Abe Fortas, Thurgood Marshall | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 1969-1986 | Warren Burger | Hugo Black, William Douglas, John Harlan, William Brennan, Potter Stewart, Byron White, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor | Richard M. Nixon |
| 1986-2005 | William H. Rehnquist | William Brennan, Byron White, John Harlan, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer | Ronald Reagan |
| 2005-Present | John G. Roberts | John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan | George W. Bush |
| Tenure | Justice | Nominated By |
|---|---|---|
| 1789-1798 | James Wilson | George Washington |
| 1790-1796 | John Blair | George Washington |
| 1790-1799 | James Iredell | George Washington |
| 1790-1810 | William Cushing | George Washington |
| 1792-1793 | Thomas Johnson | George Washington |
| 1793-1806 | William Paterson | George Washington |
| 1796-1811 | Samuel Chase | George Washington |
| 1799-1829 | Bushrod Washington | John Adams |
| 1800-1804 | Alfred Moore | John Adams |
| 1804-1834 | William Johnson | Thomas Jefferson |
| 1807-1823 | H. Brockholst Livingston | Thomas Jefferson |
| 1807-1826 | Thomas Todd | Thomas Jefferson |
| 1811-1835 | Gabriel Duvall | James Madison |
| 1812-1845 | Joseph Story | James Madison |
| 1823-1843 | Smith Thompson | James Monroe |
| 1826-1828 | Robert Trimble | John Quincy Adams |
| 1830-1844 | Henry Baldwin | Andrew Jackson |
| 1830-1861 | John McLean | Andrew Jackson |
| 1835-1867 | James Moore Wayne | Andrew Jackson |
| 1836-1841 | Philip Pendelton Barbour | Andrew Jackson |
| 1837-1865 | John Catron | Andrew Jackson |
| 1838-1852 | John McKinley | Martin Van Buren |
| 1842-1860 | Peter Vivian Daniel | Martin Van Buren |
| 1845-1851 | Levi Woodbury | James Polk |
| 1845-1872 | Samuel Nelson | James Polk |
| 1846-1870 | Robert Cooper Grier | James Polk |
| 1851-1857 | Benjamin Robbins Curtis | Millard Fillmore |
| 1853-1861 | John Campbell | Franklin Pierce |
| 1858-1881 | Nathan Clifford | James Buchanan |
| 1862-1877 | David Davis | Abraham Lincoln |
| 1862-1881 | Noah Haynes Swayne | Abraham Lincoln |
| 1863-1897 | Stephen Johnson Field | Abraham Lincoln |
| 1870-1880 | William Strong | Ulysses Grant |
| 1870-1892 | Joseph Bradley | Ulysses Grant |
| 1873-1882 | Ward Hunt | Ulysses Grant |
| 1877-1889 | John Marshall Harlan | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| 1881-1887 | William Burnham Woods | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| 1881-1889 | Stanley Matthews | James Garfield |
| 1882-1893 | Samuel Blatchford | Chester Arthur |
| 1882-1902 | Horace Gray | Chester Arthur |
| 1888-1893 | Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar | Grover Cleveland |
| 1890-1910 | David J. Brewer | Benjamin Harrison |
| 1891-1906 | Henry B. Brown | Benjamin Harrison |
| 1892-1903 | George Shiras | Benjamin Harrison |
| 1893-1895 | Howell Edmunds Jackson | Benjamin Harrison |
| 1896-1909 | Rufus W. Peckham | Grover Cleveland |
| 1898-1925 | Joseph McKenna | William McKinley |
| 1902-1932 | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 1903-1922 | William R. Day | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 1906-1910 | William H. Moody | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 1910-1914 | Horace Harmon Lurton | William H. Taft |
| 1911-1916 | Joseph Rucker Lamar | William H. Taft |
| 1911-1937 | Willis Van Devanter | William H. Taft |
| 1912-1922 | Mahlon Pitney | William H. Taft |
| 1914-1941 | James Clark McReynolds | Woodrow Wilson |
| 1916-1922 | John Hessin Clarke | Woodrow Wilson |
| 1916-1939 | Louis Brandeis | Woodrow Wilson |
| 1922-1938 | George Sutherland | Warren Harding |
| 1923-1930 | Edward T. Sanford | Warren Harding |
| 1923-1939 | Pierce Butler | Warren Harding |
| 1930-1945 | Owen Josephus Roberts | Herbert Hoover |
| 1932-1938 | Benjamin Nathan Cardozo | Herbert Hoover |
| 1937-1971 | Hugo Black | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1938-1957 | Stanley Reed | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1939-1962 | Felix Frankfurter | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1939-1975 | William O. Douglas | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1940-1949 | Frank Murphy | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1941-1942 | James Byrnes | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1941-1954 | Robert Jackson | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1943-1949 | Wiley B. Rutledge | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1945-1958 | Harold Burton | Harry Truman |
| 1949-1956 | Sherman Minton | Harry Truman |
| 1949-1967 | Tom Clark | Harry Truman |
| 1955-1971 | John Marshall Harlan II | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 1956-1990 | William J. Brennan, Jr. | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 1957-1962 | Charles Whittaker | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 1958-1981 | Potter Stewart | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 1962-1965 | Arthur Goldberg | John F. Kennedy |
| 1962-1993 | Byron White | John F. Kennedy |
| 1965-1969 | Abe Fortas | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 1967-1991 | Thurgood Marshall | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 1970-1994 | Harry Blackmun | Richard M. Nixon |
| 1972-1987 | Lewis Powell | Richard M. Nixon |
| 1975-2010 | John Paul Stevens | Gerald Ford |
| 1981-2006 | Sandra Day O'Connor | Ronald Reagan |
| 1986-Present | Antonin Scalia | Ronald Reagan |
| 1988-Present | Anthony M. Kennedy | Ronald Reagan |
| 1990-2009 | David H. Souter | George H.W. Bush |
| 1991-Present | Clarence Thomas | George H.W. Bush |
| 1993-Present | Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Bill Clinton |
| 1994-Present | Steven G. Breyer | Bill Clinton |
| 2006-Present | Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. | George W. Bush |
| 2009-Present | Sonia Sotomayor | Barack Obama |
| 2010-Present | Elena Kagan | Barack Obama |
