Every Supreme Court seat, 1789 to today

Each row is a seat. Bars are justices' tenures; hatched gaps are vacancies, from the day one justice left to the day the next took the oath. Rows start and end where Congress created or abolished a seat. Drag the date to see the Court on any day.

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Seated Seats

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Two appointments

Edward Douglass White

Born November 3, 1845, Lafourche Parish, LA
Died May 19, 1921

Chief Justice

Served: December 19, 1910 – May 19, 1921 (10 years, 5 months)
Appointed by: William H. Taft (Republican)
Left the seat: Died in office
Seat: Chief Justice
Predecessor: Melville Weston Fuller
Successor: William Howard Taft

Appointment record

December 12, 1910 Nominated
December 12, 1910 Confirmed (voice vote)
December 12, 1910 Commissioned
December 19, 1910 Judicial oath
May 19, 1921 Died in office

Associate Justice, Seat 2

Served: March 12, 1894 – December 18, 1910 (16 years, 9 months)
Appointed by: Grover Cleveland (Democratic)
Left the seat: Elevated to Chief Justice
Seat: Associate Seat 2
Predecessor: Samuel Blatchford
Successor: Willis Van Devanter

Appointment record

February 19, 1894 Nominated
February 19, 1894 Confirmed (voice vote)
February 19, 1894 Commissioned
March 12, 1894 Judicial oath
December 18, 1910 Elevated to Chief Justice

Sources differ. The Supreme Court's list gives December 18, 1910; the Federal Judicial Center gives December 19, 1910. This site follows the Court.