Meet the current members of the Supreme Court and understand how nomination, seniority, opinion assignment, recusals, and lifetime tenure shape the institution.
John G. Roberts Jr. · Chief Justice
Nominated by President George W. Bush, Roberts became chief justice in 2005. The chief presides over public sessions, leads the federal Judicial Conference, assigns the majority opinion when voting with the majority, and presides over presidential impeachment trials in the Senate.
Clarence Thomas · Associate Justice
Thomas joined the Court in 1991 after nomination by President George H. W. Bush. As the longest-serving current justice, he is the senior associate justice and may assign the majority opinion when the chief justice is not in the majority.
Samuel A. Alito Jr. · Associate Justice
Alito joined in 2006 after nomination by President George W. Bush. He previously served as a federal prosecutor, U.S. attorney, and judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sonia Sotomayor · Associate Justice
Nominated by President Barack Obama, Sotomayor joined in 2009. She previously served as a federal district judge and on the Second Circuit, and is the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.
Elena Kagan · Associate Justice
Kagan joined in 2010 after nomination by President Barack Obama. Her earlier roles included Harvard Law School dean, White House policy work, and solicitor general of the United States.
Neil M. Gorsuch · Associate Justice
Gorsuch joined in 2017 after nomination by President Donald Trump. Before the Court he served on the Tenth Circuit and worked in private practice and the Department of Justice.
Brett M. Kavanaugh · Associate Justice
Kavanaugh joined in 2018 after nomination by President Donald Trump. He previously served in the executive branch, private practice, and for twelve years on the D.C. Circuit.
Amy Coney Barrett · Associate Justice
Barrett joined in 2020 after nomination by President Donald Trump. She was a law professor and then a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ketanji Brown Jackson · Associate Justice
Jackson joined in 2022 after nomination by President Joe Biden. Her career included federal public defense, the Sentencing Commission, a federal district court, and the D.C. Circuit. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Court.
How the Court decides
The justices hear oral argument, meet privately in conference, cast preliminary votes, and circulate draft opinions. A majority opinion establishes the Court’s holding; concurrences agree with the judgment for different reasons; dissents explain disagreement. The Court’s authority depends heavily on reason-giving, precedent, institutional legitimacy, and compliance by other actors.