Category Archives: History of the Court

On This Day in Supreme Court History—June 12, 1967: Loving v. Virginia Announced

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision striking down bans on inter-racial marriage in sixteen states.  The case was argued on April 10, 1967, and announced just two months later, on June 12. Mildred and Richard Loving in 1967 Looking back on the oral arguments in the case, several … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—June 12, 1967: Loving v. Virginia Announced

On This Day in Supreme Court History—April 3, 1944: The White Primary Struck Down

On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court, in the landmark case of Smith v. Allwright, struck down the Texas Democratic Party’s policy of excluding African Americans from participating in its primary election. Texas state law authorized the state’s Democratic Party to establish its own operating rules. Among these rules was a requirement that all … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—April 3, 1944: The White Primary Struck Down

On this day in Supreme Court History—March 28, 1836: Chief Justice Roger B. Taney Takes Office

On March 28th, 1836, Roger B. Taney became the fifth Chief Justice of the United States. He succeeded John Marshall, arguably the most consequential justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Although Taney would achieve much during his time on the Court, history would not judge Taney’s tenure nearly as positively as that of … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—March 28, 1836: Chief Justice Roger B. Taney Takes Office

Opening the Supreme Court’s New Term

Last Monday, the Supreme Court began its 2019-2020 term. Early in its history, the Court typically had two annual sessions with various starting dates, but since 1917, Congress has set the first Monday of October as the opening of the Court’s annual term. In 1978, a play that imagined the first woman appointed to the … Continue reading Opening the Supreme Court’s New Term

On this day in Supreme Court History—April 10, 1869: Getting to Nine

On this day in 1869, Congress increased the number of justices on the Supreme Court from seven to nine—where it has remained ever since. (Whether the number should remain at nine has been a point of renewed attention in recent months.) In 1866, Congress had reduced the number of Supreme Court justices to seven. Republicans … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—April 10, 1869: Getting to Nine

On this day in Supreme Court History—March 3, 1801: The Midnight Judges

On this date in 1801, John Marshall—at the time simultaneously serving as President John Adams’s Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the United States—signed the commissions of the “midnight judges,” setting in motion events that would lead to the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison. The ruling, written by none other than Chief … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—March 3, 1801: The Midnight Judges

On this day in Supreme Court History—February 18, 1988: Justice Anthony Kennedy Takes the Oath of Office

On this day in 1988, Justice Anthony Kennedy was sworn in as the 104th Justice of the Supreme Court. President Ronald Reagan nominated Kennedy as an Associate Justice on November 12, 1987. Kennedy was Reagan’s third attempt to fill the seat of Justice Lewis Powell, who had retired the previous June. Reagan’s first two nominations … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—February 18, 1988: Justice Anthony Kennedy Takes the Oath of Office

On this day in Supreme Court History—February 15, 1932: Benjamin Cardozo Nominated to the Supreme Court

On this day in 1932, President Herbert Hoover nominated Benjamin Cardozo to the Supreme Court. Hoover, a Republican, nominated Cardozo, a Democrat, to replace Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who had retired at age 90. Although Cardozo was a Democrat, he had support from across the political spectrum. Cardozo had served for 18 years on the … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—February 15, 1932: Benjamin Cardozo Nominated to the Supreme Court

On this day in Supreme Court History—December 10, 1862: Justice Davis takes the oath of office

On this day in 1862, Justice David Davis took his oath of office. David Davis was born March 9, 1815, in Cecil County, Maryland. He moved to Illinois, where he became a state representative in 1845 and then a State Circuit Judge from 1848 to 1862. During this time he formed a friendship with Abraham … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—December 10, 1862: Justice Davis takes the oath of office

On This Day in Supreme Court History—November 28, 1872—Justice Nelson Retired from the Court

On this day in 1872, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Nelson retired from the Court. Nelson was born on a farm in New York in 1792. After graduating from Middlebury College in 1813, he clerked and eventually became a partner at a law firm. He was also active in the Democratic-Republican Party.  At the age of … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—November 28, 1872—Justice Nelson Retired from the Court