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The three most recent additions to the Supreme Court are soon-to-be Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Samuel Alito.
President Obama nominated US Solicitor General Elena Kagan on May 9, 2010, to succeed Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired from the Court on June 29. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Kagan's by a vote of 13-6; she was confirmed by a full Senate vote of 63-37 on Thursday, August 5, 2010.
Kagan, who is the fourth woman to join the US Supreme Court, will also increase the female census on the bench to three for the first time in history. She is expected to take the Oaths of Office on August 7, 2010.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn-in on Saturday, August 8, 2009. She is the first justice whose Judicial Oath of Office was televised (she also took a Constitutional Oath in private). Justice Sotomayor is also the first Latina or Hispanic person to serve on the US Supreme Court.
Justice Sotomayor replaced David Souter, who retired in June 2009.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito replaced Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in January 2006; he has already served on the bench for more than four years.
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ProfessorThe Current Justices of the US Supreme Court:
John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2003. President George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat on September 29, 2005.
Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice, was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982. President Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat September 26, 1986.
Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice, was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1975. President Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat February 18, 1988.
Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice, became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1990. President Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat October 23, 1991.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice, was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993.
Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice, served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as its Chief Judge, 1990-1994. He also served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1990-1994, and of the United States Sentencing Commission, 1985-1989. President Clinton nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat August 3, 1994.
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Associate Justice, was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990. President George W. Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on January 31, 2006.
Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice, served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998-2009. President Barack Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role on August 8, 2009.
Elena Kagan, Associate Justice, was nominated to the position of US Solicitor General by President Obama in 2009. She served as Associate White House Counsel under the Clinton Administration from 1995-1999. Kagan, an expert on Constitutional Law, was a former law professor and Dean of Harvard Law School. President Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 2010.
Lewis F. Powell, Jr., (1972 - 1987)...............retired June 26, 1987 (deceased, 1998)
Sandra Day O'Connor (1981 - 2006)............retired January 31, 2006
David H. Souter (1990 - 2009)...................retired June 29, 2009
John Paul Stevens (1975 - 2010)................retirement planned: day after Court rises for 2009-2010 Term
Chief Justice Rehnquist died in 2005, making him the first justice to die in office since Chief Justice Fred Vinson passed in 1953.
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How many justices are on the supreme court?
Nine Justices Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. There have been 103 Associate Justices in the Court's history.
The number of justices on the Supreme Court are fixed by?
Congress decides how many justices should be on the US Supreme Court. The current number, nine, was set by the Judiciary Act of 1869.
Have there been any lawyers who are or were US Supreme Court justices?
All 112 justices in the history of the US Supreme Court (as of 2011) have been lawyers.
What do the US Supreme Court justices wear while hearing a case?
In keeping with tradition, the US Supreme Court justices wear black robes over their street clothes.
Where can I see a photo of the US Supreme Court justices?
The Supreme Court Historical Society hosts a photograph of the justices as a group. The current photograph was taken before Justice Kagan joined the Court, and before Justice Stevens retired; however, the Historical Society promises an update soon. To see a picture of the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, you can access the Supreme Court Historical Society via Related Links, below.
