U.S. Supreme Court
Current Justices
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas
Associate Justice Samuel Alito
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Associate Justice Elena Kagan
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch
Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Introduction
The U.S. Supreme Court was first established in 1789 in accordance with Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The Court traditionally has one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices, making nine Justices altogether.
Current Supreme Court Justices
| Name | Title | Year Appointed (Nominating President) | |
| John G. Roberts, Jr. | Chief Justice | 2005 (George W. Bush) | Books @ BPL |
| Clarence Thomas | Associate Justice | 1991 (George H. W. Bush) | Books @ BPL |
| Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. | Associate Justice | 2006 (George W. Bush) | Books @ BPL |
| Sonia Sotomayor | Associate Justice | 2009 (Barack Obama) | Books @ BPL |
| Elena Kagan | Associate Justice | 2010 (Barack Obama) | Books @ BPL |
| Neil Gorsuch | Associate Justice | 2017 (Donald Trump) | Books @ BPL |
| Brett Kavanaugh | Associate Justice | 2018 (Donald Trump) | Books @ BPL |
| Amy Coney Barrett | Associate Justice | 2020 (Donald Trump) | Books @ BPL |
| Ketanji Brown Jackson | Associate Justice | 2022 (Joe Biden) |
The Supreme Court, 1937
- Supreme Court of the United StatesOfficial website of the Court
- Supreme Court Historical SocietyA private non-profit organization focused on collecting and preserving the history of the Court
News
Statue of Contemplation of Justice by James Earle Fraser on the main steps
- Sandra Day O’Connor, pathbreaking woman on Supreme Court, dies at 93From the Washington Post
- The Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Serve on the U.S. Supreme CourtFrom WhiteHouse.gov
- Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmation HearingsVideo archive from C-SPAN
- SCOTUSblogA blog maintained by lawyers, law school professors, and law students sponsored by Bloomberg Law.
- Courts and LawNews stories covering the Court from the Washington Post
- U.S. Supreme Court, New York TimesNew York Times topic page aggregates stories about the Court.
- OyezA multimedia archive from Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute, Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Justia.com
Retired Justices
There is no mandatory retirement age for Justices because it is a lifetime appointment. When a Justice wishes to retire, they submit a letter to the President stating their intentions. Justices often retire due to advanced age and/or poor health, although they frequently have other reasons. There are currently three retired Associate Justices who are still living.
Retired Justices
| Name (Nominating President) | Years Served | Reason For Retiring | |
| David Souter (George H. W. Bush) | 1990-2009 | Desire to move back to New Hampshire. | Books @ BPL |
| Anthony Kennedy (Ronald Reagan) | 1988-2018 | Desire to spend more time with family. | Books @ BPL |
| Stephen Breyer (Bill Clinton) | 1994-2022 | Unknown. | Books @ BPL |
 David Souter |
 Anthony Kennedy |
 Stephen Breyer |
- Supreme Court Justice O'Connor ResignsBy William Branigin, Fred Barbash and Daniela Deane for the Washington Post
- Justice O'Connor's retirement letterOpens PDF file
- Supreme Court Justice Souter To RetireBy Nina Totenberg for NPR.org
- Justice Souter's retirement letterOpens PDF file
- Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Will RetireBy Michael D. Shear for the NY Times
- Justice Breyer's retirement letterOpens PDF file
Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court did not have a permanent meeting place in Washington D.C. until 1810, when it moved into the U.S. Capitol Building. It moved a few times within the building until the current Supreme Court building was constructed in 1935. The building is located at 1 First Street NE in Washington, D.C. and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm.
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The Supreme Court Building- From supremecourt.gov |
 One of two self-supporting spiral staircases inside the building. |
