List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court is the United States’ highest court. It has nine justices: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Any six of them can form a quorum to decide cases. Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they have lifetime tenure.
The Court was created by the Constitution and organized by Congress. The first Judiciary Act in 1789 set the Court at six justices (one Chief Justice and five associates). The number of justices changed several times in history: it briefly fell to five (1801), then rose to seven (1807), nine (1837), and ten (1863). The Judiciary Act of 1869 fixed the Court at nine members, where it has stayed since.
Justices can retire; when they retire they leave the Court but can be designated to serve as judges in lower federal courts. Historically, the average length of service was under 15 years, but since 1970 it has grown to about 26 years.
Since 1789, 116 people have served on the Court. Five associate justices were later appointed chief justice: John Rutledge, Edward Douglass White, Charles Evans Hughes, Harlan F. Stone, and William Rehnquist.
As of January 30, 2026, the nine sitting justices are: John Roberts (Chief Justice), Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:48 (CET).