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Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

 

 
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Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
 
 
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Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States, and leads the federal United States federal courts. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed with th...
 other than the Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States

The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal courts and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States....
. The number of Associate Justices is determined by the United States Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 and is currently set at eight by the Judiciary Act of 1869
Judiciary Act of 1869

The Judiciary Act of 1869 , also called the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, was a United States statute that made two important reforms of the United States federal court system....
.

Associate Justices, like the Chief Justice, are nominated by the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and are confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 by majority vote. This is provided for in Article II
Article Two of the United States Constitution

Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the United States Government, comprising the President of the United States and other executive officers....
 of the Constitution, which states that the President "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent
Advice and consent

Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in List of enacting formulae of bill s and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch....
 of the Senate, shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court."

Article III
Article Three of the United States Constitution

Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the Federal government of the United States. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of the United States along with lower federal courts established pursuant to legislation by United States Congress....
 of the Constitution specifies that Associate Justices, and all other United States federal judge
United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually refers to a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article III of the U.S....
s "shall hold their Offices during good Behavior." This language means that the appointments are effectively for life
Life tenure

A life tenure or lifetime tenure is a term of office that lasts for the office holder's lifetime, unless the office holder is removed from office under extraordinary circumstances....
, ending only when a Justice dies
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
 in office, retires
Retirement

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire and keep some sort of retirement job, out of choice rather than necessity....
, or is removed from office following impeachment
Impeachment in the United States

Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature which allows for formal charges to be brought against a civil officer of government for conduct committed in office....
 by the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 and conviction by the Senate.

Each of the Justices of the Supreme Court has a single vote in deciding the cases argued before it; the Chief Justice's vote counts no more than that of any other Justice.






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Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States, and leads the federal United States federal courts. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed with th...
 other than the Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States

The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal courts and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States....
. The number of Associate Justices is determined by the United States Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 and is currently set at eight by the Judiciary Act of 1869
Judiciary Act of 1869

The Judiciary Act of 1869 , also called the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, was a United States statute that made two important reforms of the United States federal court system....
.

Associate Justices, like the Chief Justice, are nominated by the President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and are confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 by majority vote. This is provided for in Article II
Article Two of the United States Constitution

Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the United States Government, comprising the President of the United States and other executive officers....
 of the Constitution, which states that the President "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent
Advice and consent

Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in List of enacting formulae of bill s and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch....
 of the Senate, shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court."

Article III
Article Three of the United States Constitution

Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the Federal government of the United States. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of the United States along with lower federal courts established pursuant to legislation by United States Congress....
 of the Constitution specifies that Associate Justices, and all other United States federal judge
United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually refers to a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article III of the U.S....
s "shall hold their Offices during good Behavior." This language means that the appointments are effectively for life
Life tenure

A life tenure or lifetime tenure is a term of office that lasts for the office holder's lifetime, unless the office holder is removed from office under extraordinary circumstances....
, ending only when a Justice dies
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
 in office, retires
Retirement

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire and keep some sort of retirement job, out of choice rather than necessity....
, or is removed from office following impeachment
Impeachment in the United States

Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature which allows for formal charges to be brought against a civil officer of government for conduct committed in office....
 by the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 and conviction by the Senate.

Each of the Justices of the Supreme Court has a single vote in deciding the cases argued before it; the Chief Justice's vote counts no more than that of any other Justice. However, in drafting opinions, the Chief Justice enjoys additional influence in case disposition if in the majority through his power to assign who writes the opinion. Otherwise, the senior justice in the majority assigns the writing of a decision. Furthermore, the Chief Justice leads the discussion of the case among the justices. The Chief Justice has certain administrative responsibilities that the other Justices do not, and is paid slightly more ($217,400 vs. $208,100 ).

Associate justices have seniority by order of appointment, although the Chief Justice is always considered the most senior. If two justices are appointed on the same day, the older is designated the senior justice of the two. The senior associate justice is now John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

John Paul Stevens is the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Supreme Court of the United States in 1975 and is the oldest member of the Court....
. By tradition, when the Justices are in conference deliberating the outcome of cases before the Court, the justices state their views in order of seniority. If there is a knock at the conference room door, the junior justice (who sits closest to the door) must answer it.

Under 28 USC
Title 28 of the United States Code

Title 28 is the portion of the United States Code that governs the federal judicial system.It is divided into 6 parts:* Part I: Organization of Courts...
 , when the Chief Justice is unable to discharge his functions, or that office is vacant, his duties are carried out by the most senior associate justice until the disability or vacancy ends.

The current associate justices are (in order of seniority): John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

John Paul Stevens is the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Supreme Court of the United States in 1975 and is the oldest member of the Court....
, Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia

is an United States jurist and the second most senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States, appointed by Republican Party President Ronald Reagan....
, Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy

Anthony McLeod Kennedy has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1988....
, David Hackett Souter, Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas is an American jurist. He has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991, the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court ....
, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed by Democratic Party President Bill Clinton with the support of Republican Party Judiciary Chairman Senator Orrin Hatch in 1993 and generally votes with the liberal wing of the court....
, Stephen Breyer
Stephen Breyer

Stephen Gerald Breyer is an American Lawyer and jurist. Since 1994, he has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States....
, and Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito

Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States. Appointed by President George W....
.

Retired Associate Justices

Contrary to popular belief, a Justice who steps down from the Court continues to be a member of it. When a Justice retires he or she usually goes into senior status
Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the United States federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status....
, which means that the Justice keeps his or her title, and may serve by assignment on panels of the U.S. courts of appeals (as Lewis F. Powell, Jr. did for several years). Retired Justices may elect to keep a chamber in the Supreme Court building as well as maintain law clerks. The names of Retired Associate Justices continues to appear alongside the other active members on the Bound Volumes of Supreme Court decisions. However, Retired Associate Justices take no part in the consideration or decision of any cases before the Court.

Currently, the only Retired Associate Justice is Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor is an United States jurist and the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States....
, who assumed senior status on January 31, 2006.

Further reading

  • . Supreme Court Historical Society
    Supreme Court Historical Society

    The Supreme Court Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of the U.S. Supreme Court...
    .
  • Christensen, George A., Here Lies the Supreme Court: Revisited, Journal of Supreme Court History, Volume 33 Issue 1, Pages 17 - 41 (19 Feb 2008), University of Alabama
    University of Alabama

    The University of Alabama is a state university coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship university of the University of Alabama System....
    .**

See also

  • Associate Justice
    Associate Justice

    Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth of Nations countries....
  • Chief Justice of the United States
    Chief Justice of the United States

    The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal courts and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States....
  • Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States
    Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States

    The demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States have been raised as an issue since the Court was established in 1789. For its first 180 years, Supreme Court of the United States justices were almost always White people Man Protestantism....
  • List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
    List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

    This is a list of past and present justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. Both Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Chief Justice of the United States are nominated by the President of the United States and Advice and consent by the United States Senate....
  • List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by court composition
    List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by court composition

    In order to become a Judge on the Supreme Court of the United States, an individual must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate, with at least half of that body approving in the affirmative....
  • List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by seat
    List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by seat

    There have been a total of eleven seats on the Supreme Court of the United States: one Chief Justiceship and ten Associate Justiceships. Two of the Associate Justiceships were abolished, leaving the nine-seat Court of today....


External links

  • indexed by judge name
  • from the Court's website.