Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States facts for kids
An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a judge on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the entire country. The leader of the group is called the chief justice of the United States. The other eight members are called associate justices. The number of associate justices was set at eight by a law called the Judiciary Act of 1869.
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How an Associate Justice Gets the Job
Under the Constitution of the United States, the president chooses someone to be a justice. Then, the Senate must vote to give consent and confirm the choice.
Once appointed, justices receive life tenure. This means they can keep their jobs for the rest of their lives. They do not have to worry about getting elected again. A justice can only leave office by choosing to resign, retiring, passing away, or being removed through impeachment.
What Does an Associate Justice Do?
Associate justices help decide very important legal questions. Every member of the court gets one vote when deciding a case. Even though the chief justice leads discussions, their vote counts the same as an associate justice's vote.
When the justices meet to talk about cases, they speak in order of seniority. Seniority depends on how long a justice has served on the court. If two justices join on the same day, the older person is more senior. The most senior associate justice helps lead meetings if the chief justice cannot be there.
Writing Court Opinions
After voting, the court writes an opinion explaining their final answer. If the chief justice is on the winning side, they decide who writes it. If not, the most senior associate justice on the winning side picks the writer.
Current Associate Justices
There are eight associate justices serving on the court today. Ordered from longest serving to newest, they are:
- Clarence Thomas, who joined in 1991 and is the senior associate justice
- Samuel Alito, who joined in 2006
- Sonia Sotomayor, who joined in 2009
- Elena Kagan, who joined in 2010
- Neil Gorsuch, who joined in 2017
- Brett Kavanaugh, who joined in 2018
- Amy Coney Barrett, who joined in 2020
- Ketanji Brown Jackson, who joined in 2022
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Retirement of Justices
When associate justices reach a certain age and finish years of service, they can retire. Retired justices still keep their formal titles and can work in lower federal courts if needed. However, they no longer vote on Supreme Court cases. Living retired associate justices include Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer. Over history, famous justices like Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have served in this role.
See also
In Spanish: Juez asociado de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos para niños
