Supreme Court Justices: Fun Facts Quiz

Answer: John Jay

John Jay was born in 1745 in New York City, when the territory was still under British rule. Jay studied in King's College (now Columbia University) and was one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S. Jay played a critical role in the American Revolution and resulting independence. Besides serving as a delegate and then President of the Continental Congress, Jay went on to serve in roles like Minister to Spain and Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

In 1789, Jay was appointed by President Washington as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a role he held until 1795 (as he resigned to become Governor of New York). Jay died in 1829. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice affiliated to the City University of New York is named in Jay's honor.

Answer: Harry Blackmun

Harry Blackmun was a Harvard-educated lawyer who spent most of his career serving in the judicial branch. In the 1950s, Blackmun worked as counsel for the Mayo Clinic, an important medical and research center. This medical background is believed to be one of the reasons why he was assigned and wrote the opinion in Roe v. Wade. Blackmun was a federal judge for the Eighth Circuit's Court of Appeals between 1959 and 1970, after which he was nominated by President Nixon to serve on the Supreme Court.

A Republican, Blackmun penned several important opinions during his Supreme Court tenure. Perhaps his most important one was Roe v. Wade, a landmark case that afforded women the right to have an abortion protected by the 14th Amendment. Roe v. Wade, considered one of the most consequential and controversial Supreme Court cases, was overturned in 2022 in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case.

Answer: Taft

William Howard Taft was a lawyer and politician who belonged to the Republican party. Taft's first high-profile government job was as Solicitor General of the United States, a role he held between 1890 and 1892. Taft went on to serve as an appellate federal judge and worked in other important international roles before being elected president in 1908.

Taft's presidency lasted until 1913. In 1921, Taft was nominated by President Warren G. Harding to become Chief Justice. Taft was confirmed by the Senate with a 61-4 vote, and served in that role from 1921 until February 1930. He died a month later in March 1930.

Answer: John Marshall Harlan

John Marshall Harlan was born in 1833 in Kentucky. Although he was a critic of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, Harlan was instrumental in the early fight for civil rights in the U.S. Harlan served as Attorney General of Kentucky between 1863 and 1867. President Rutherford Hayes nominated Harlan to the Supreme Court in 1877, and he served as an Associate Justice from then until his death in 1911.

Harlan became famous for his influential dissenting opinions. One of these was his dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, a case where the Court held that it was not unconstitutional for states to enforce discriminatory laws. It is known as one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever because it established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which was not overruled until 1954. Harlan was the sole dissenter in that case, arguing that the 14th Amendment granted equal protection under law to every American.

Answer: Fred Vinson

Fred Vinson had a long career in government before joining the Supreme Court. He served in the House of Representatives, as an appellate judge, as Secretary of Treasury, and finally, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A Democrat, Vinson served in the cabinets of Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. Truman nominated Vinson for the Court in 1946 while the latter was the head of the Treasury Department.

At the Court, Vinson oversaw several cases that had a significant impact on the history of U.S. law, such as Shelley v. Kraemer and Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. Vinson ordered a second rehearing of Briggs v. Elliott, a case about school segregation. However, he died suddenly before the case could be decided. It was subsequently merged with Brown v. Board of Education when Earl Warren was appointed by President Eisenhower.

Answer: March 17

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 in honor of Ireland's patron saint. Saint Patrick is known for having converted a lot of people to Christianity upon his return to Ireland. Today, the holiday is celebrated not just in Ireland, but also in other countries with people of Irish descent. The color green, shamrocks, and leprechauns are often associated with this holiday.

Like the president who appointed him (Andrew Jackson), Justice Roger Taney does not have a great reputation today. The main reason for that may be his decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, an infamous case that held black people were not citizens under the Constitution. Pierce Butler served on the Court between 1923 and 1939 and was one of the Four Horsemen that swayed the Court to the right.

Answer: Joseph P. Bradley

The size of the Supreme Court (that is, the number of justices that constitute it) is a much-debated issue in American politics. Since the Court has great power over life in the U.S., both political parties have a vested interest in the composition of the Court. The Judiciary Act of 1869, signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, added an extra seat to what was then an 8-member Court.

Joseph P. Bradley took the ninth seat after President Grant nominated him. He is known for authoring the majority opinion in the Civil Rights cases that forbade the government from protecting Black citizens from racial discrimination. Bradley died in 1892 and was replaced by George Shiras.

Answer: Yes

Though it is not very common, sometimes presidents elevate a current associate justice to Chief Justice. This action effectively gives them an extra pick, since they also choose the new associate justice. The first time this happened was in 1790 with John Rutledge. It also happened subsequently with Edward White, Charles Hughes, and Harlan Fiske Stone.

In 1971, President Nixon nominated Rehnquist for the associate justice position after John Marshall Harlan II (John Marshall Harlan's grandson) retired from the Court. Rehnquist was viewed as more conservative compared to other candidates, and his confirmation process was somewhat controversial. Following Warren Burger's retirement, President Reagan decided to nominate Rehnquist for Chief Justice, allowing Antonin Scalia to fill the newly-vacated spot. Rehnquist's second confirmation hearings were also contentious, but he was ultimately approved by the Senate. He served in the Court from 1972 up to his death in 2005.

Answer: Harvard and Yale

Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process was highly controversial. Barrett, who had been serving as a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since 2017, was nominated by President Trump following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Republican-controlled Senate moved as quickly as it could to confirm Barrett, despite the fact that a presidential election (ultimately won by Joe Biden) was right around the corner. Barrett's vote was seen as crucial on several issues, such as abortion. Barrett is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where she also taught during her career.

She was atypical compared to the other members of the Court she joined in that all other justices had degrees from either Harvard Law School or Yale Law School (two of the best institutions in the U.S.) Roberts, Alito, Kagan, and Gorsuch graduated from Harvard; Thomas, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Kavanaugh graduated from Yale.

Answer: Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. in 1970. She obtained government and law degrees from Harvard University, after which she embarked on a decorated career with multiple roles. Brown Jackson was a law clerk for federal judges, worked in several law firms, and served as a public defender. She was appointed as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2013 by President Obama. Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Biden nominated her for D.C.'s prestigious Court of Appeals to replace Merrick Garland, who took over as Attorney General.

In 2022, President Biden made good on his campaign promise to appoint an African-American woman to the Supreme Court for the first time. Her nomination process was quite contentious, but she was ultimately confirmed and made history when she officially took over from her Supreme Court mentor, Justice Stephen Breyer.