Judges
31 people.
John Marshall 1755–1835Law & the JudiciaryChief justice who established judicial review and strengthened the Supreme Court and federal government.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1933–2020Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court Justice whose advocacy for gender equality made her a cultural icon.
Earl Warren 1891–1974Law & the JudiciaryChief justice whose Court transformed civil rights, voting, representation, and criminal procedure.
Thurgood Marshall 1908–1993Law & the JudiciaryFirst African American Supreme Court Justice and lead attorney in Brown v. Board of Education.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. 1841–1935Law & the JudiciaryJustice whose pragmatic jurisprudence and free-speech opinions deeply influenced American law.
Sandra Day O'Connor 1930–2023Law & the JudiciaryFirst woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, appointed by President Reagan.
Antonin Scalia 1936–2016Law & the JudiciaryJustice whose advocacy of originalism and textualism transformed American legal interpretation.
William Howard Taft 1857–1930PresidentsOnly person to serve as both president and Chief Justice of the United States.
Louis Brandeis 1856–1941Law & the JudiciaryJustice and reform lawyer who advanced privacy, free speech, and progressive regulation.
John Jay 1745–1829Political Leaders & StatecraftFounding Father, diplomat, Federalist Papers co-author, and first chief justice who helped construct the early republic.
Clarence Thomas b. 1948Law & the JudiciaryLong-serving justice whose originalist opinions have strongly influenced modern conservative jurisprudence.
John Roberts b. 1955Law & the JudiciaryChief justice during major decisions on health care, elections, executive power, abortion, and administrative law.
Roger B. Taney 1777–1864Law & the JudiciaryChief justice whose Court shaped federalism but is principally remembered for the disastrous Dred Scott decision.
Sonia Sotomayor b. 1954Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court Justice and former Yale Law professor whose memoir chronicles her rise from the Bronx.
William Rehnquist 1924–2005Law & the JudiciaryChief justice who led the Court’s conservative shift toward federalism and limits on congressional power.
Amy Coney Barrett b. 1972Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court justice appointed in 2020 whose vote consolidated the Court's conservative majority.
Elena Kagan b. 1960Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court Justice and former Harvard Law dean known for her sharp legal mind and writing.
Robert H. Jackson 1892–1954Law & the JudiciaryJustice, attorney general, and chief U.S. prosecutor at Nuremberg who influenced constitutional law and international criminal justice.
Brett Kavanaugh b. 1965Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court justice confirmed in 2018 after contested hearings and often a pivotal vote.
Ketanji Brown Jackson b. 1970Law & the JudiciaryFirst Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Learned Hand 1872–1961Law & the JudiciaryFederal judge whose widely cited opinions on free speech, negligence, and judicial restraint profoundly influenced American law.
Hugo Black 1886–1971Law & the JudiciaryJustice who championed strong First Amendment protections and incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
John Paul Stevens 1920–2019Law & the JudiciaryLong-serving justice whose opinions shaped civil liberties, administrative law, and limits on executive power.
William J. Brennan Jr. 1906–1997Law & the JudiciaryInfluential justice who expanded civil liberties, equality doctrine, and application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
Charles Evans Hughes 1862–1948Law & the JudiciaryChief justice, governor, and secretary of state who guided the Court through major New Deal constitutional conflicts.
Felix Frankfurter 1882–1965Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court justice and Harvard professor whose jurisprudence and government service shaped twentieth-century American law.
William O. Douglas 1898–1980Law & the JudiciaryLongest-serving Supreme Court justice, noted for expansive civil-liberties jurisprudence and environmental advocacy.
Benjamin N. Cardozo 1870–1938Law & the JudiciaryJudge and Supreme Court justice whose opinions became foundational to American tort, contract, and common-law reasoning.
Neil Gorsuch b. 1967Law & the JudiciarySupreme Court justice known for textualist statutory interpretation and skepticism of agency deference.
Joseph Story 1779–1845Law & the JudiciaryEarly Supreme Court justice and legal scholar whose treatises and opinions strengthened federal judicial authority.
Robert R. Livingston 1746–1813Political Leaders & StatecraftChancellor of New York who administered Washington's oath and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase.