who was the last non-lawyer supreme court justice

by Durward Hahn 4 min read

Many of the 18th and 19th century Justices studied law under a mentor because there were few law schools in the country. The last Justice to be appointed who did not attend any law school was James F. Byrnes (1941-1942).

Who was the last US Supreme Court justice without a law degree?

Aug 07, 2010 · Stanley Forman Reed (1938-1957) was the last justice to serve without a law degree. Today, candidates for the US Supreme Court are usually chosen from among those who attended the nation's top law...

Who was the first Supreme Court justice not to go to Law School?

May 28, 2009 · Nonlawyers On The Supreme Court? May 28, 20097:09 AM ET Ken Rudin As it turned out, President Obama has nominated Sonia Sotomayor, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, to fill a soon-to-be-vacant...

Are there any Supreme Court justices who are not lawyers?

Jul 31, 2009 · Stanley Forman Reed (1938-1957) was the last person to serve without a law degree (although he did attend law school for awhile). Levi Woodbury (1845-1851) was the first justice to graduate law...

How long have Supreme Court justices been on the court?

Answer (1 of 10): Levi Woodbury was the first U.S. Supreme Court Justice to have attended law school. While others were lawyers, they go there by apprenticing or “reading he law”. Other Justices who were not lawyers (studied but failed to graduate) are: * Henry Billings Brown * …

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Who was the last Supreme Court justice without a law degree?

Associate Justice James F. Byrnes, whose short tenure lasted from June 1941 to October 1942, was the last Justice without a law degree to be appointed; Stanley Forman Reed, who served on the Court from 1938 to 1957, was the last sitting Justice from such a background.

How many Supreme Court Justices have no judicial experience?

Forty-one Justices have served on the Supreme Court without having had any prior judicial experience. Throughout our history, Republicans and Democrats have said that judicial experience is not a prerequisite for serving on the Supreme Court.May 26, 2010

Which current Justices had no prior judicial experience?

Supreme Court Justices Without Prior Judicial Experience Before Becoming JusticesName of JusticePrior OccupationsYears On CourtAbe FortasPrivate Practice1965-1969Byron WhiteDeputy U.S. Attorney General1962-1993Arthur GoldbergU.S. Secretary of Labor1962-1965Earl WarrenGovernor of California1953-196937 more rows

What did clarence thomas do?

Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall, and has served since 1991. Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court, after Marshall.

Who is the youngest Supreme Court justice?

Story was the youngest justice appointed to the Supreme Court; he was 32 when commissioned to the court in 1811. Story was one of two justices nominated to the Supreme Court by President Madison.

Who was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court?

Sandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan promised to nominate the first woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. He made good on that promise in 1981, when he announced Sandra Day O'Connor's nomination.

Was Elena Kagan a judge before the Supreme Court?

Kagan is the fourth woman to become a member of the Court. Kagan was born and raised in New York City. After graduating from Princeton University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard Law School, she clerked for a federal Court of Appeals judge and for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

How many slip opinions have been handed down by the Court?

A “slip” opinion consists of the majority or principal opinion, any concurring or dissenting opinions written by the Justices, and a prefatory syllabus prepared by the Reporter's Office that summarizes the decision....June.R-50Date6/21/21Docket19-1434NameUnited States v. Arthrex, Inc.Revised7/08/2124 more columns

Do Supreme Court justices have judicial experience?

Supreme Court justices aren't required to have judicial experience or even be lawyers, but those who have served on federal appellate courts dominate the list of justices confirmed since the mid 1970s. Twelve of the 14 justices from Antonin Scalia to Amy Coney Barrett brought circuit court experience.Feb 14, 2022

Who is the longest serving Supreme Court justice?

Clarence ThomasHow long has Clarence Thomas been a justice? Thomas is the longest serving justice. His tenure began in 1991. In 2021, he celebrated 30 years on the court.19 hours ago

How old is Ginni Thomas?

65 years (February 23, 1957)Virginia Thomas / Age

Did Anita Hill ever marry?

Well, Anita Hill has mentioned that she was never married to anyone and has no husband but had been in a serious and romantic relationship with her partner for 10 years. As per some media, Anita Hill has a net worth of $6 million as a lawyer.

How long does a retired justice serve?

Historically, the average length of service on the Court has been less than 15 years.

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom constitute a quorum.

What is the Supreme Court?

v. t. e. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom constitute a quorum. Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution grants plenary power ...

Who was the first justice to have a law degree?

Woodbury's successor on the Court, Benjamin Robbins Curtis, who received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1832, and was appointed to the Court in 1851, was the first Justice to bear such a credential.

Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg go to law school?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg – also attended Harvard Law School. Charles Evans Hughes – Chief Justice. Joseph McKenna – studied at the law school, did not graduate. Stanley Forman Reed – also attended University of Virginia School of Law, did not graduate from either.

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Overview

The Constitution of the United States does not require that any federal judges have any particular educational or career background, but the work of the Court involves complex questions of law – ranging from constitutional law to administrative law to admiralty law – and consequentially, a legal education has become a de facto prerequisite to appointment on the United States Supreme …

Four or more justices

• Harvard Law School – 21 alumni; 17 graduates
• Yale Law School – 11 alumni, 9 graduates
• Columbia Law School – 7 alumni, 4 graduates

Three justices

• University of Michigan Law School
• Litchfield Law School (defunct)

Two justices

• Albany Law School
• Cincinnati Law School (University of Cincinnati College of Law)
• Cumberland School of Law
• Indiana University Maurer School of Law

• Albany Law School
• Cincinnati Law School (University of Cincinnati College of Law)
• Cumberland School of Law
• Indiana University Maurer School of Law

One justice

• Centre College School of Law
• Howard University School of Law
• Mitchell Hamline School of Law
• New York Law School

• Centre College School of Law
• Howard University School of Law
• Mitchell Hamline School of Law
• New York Law School

University or college trained

These justices were educated at the equivalent of what would today be an undergraduate level, but did not receive legal education at the graduate level, the model under which law schools in the U.S. are currently organized.
• Brigham Young University
• Carleton College

These justices were educated at the equivalent of what would today be an undergraduate level, but did not receive legal education at the graduate level, the model under which law schools in the U.S. are currently organized.
• Brigham Young University
• Carleton College

No university legal education

Some justices received no legal education in a university setting, but were instead either trained through apprenticeships or were self-taught, as was common with many lawyers prior to the mid-20th century.
• James F. Byrnes
• Samuel Chase

See also

• List of law schools in the United States