From FindLaw: Supreme Court Justices without prior judicial experience: (open post)
Look, I'm getting less and less amused by the Kagan pick, but for a different reasons than the average idiot. This post is just because I am sick and tired of people being completely clueless about the fact you do NOT need prior judicial or law experience to be appointed to SCOTUS. I swear, did everyone in this nation fail their civics and government law classes? I've marked a few notables on this list.
Name of Justice
Prior Occupations
Years On Court
Appointed By President:
1. William Rehnquist
Asst. U.S. Attorney General
1972-2005
Nixon (Assoc., 1972), Reagan (Chief, 1986)
2. Lewis Powell
President of the American Bar Ass'n, Private Practice
1972-1987
Nixon
3. Abe Fortas
Private Practice
1965-1969
Johnson
4. Byron White
Deputy U.S. Attorney General
1962-1993
Kennedy
5. Arthur Goldberg
U.S. Secretary of Labor
1962-1965
Kennedy
6. Earl Warren
Governor of California
1953-1969
Eisenhower
7. Tom Clark
U.S. Attorney General
1949-1967
Truman
8. Harold Burton
U.S. Senator
1945-1958
Truman
9. Robert Jackson
U.S. Attorney General
1941-1954
F. Roosevelt
10. James Francis Byrnes
U.S. Senator
1941-1942
F. Roosevelt
11. William O. Douglas
Chairman of the S.E.C.
1939-1975
F. Roosevelt
12. Felix Frankfurter
Asst. U.S. Attorney, Asst. Secretary of War, Prof. of Law at Harvard
1939-1962
F. Roosevelt
13. Stanley Forman Reed
U.S. Solicitor General
1938-1957
F. Roosevelt
14. Owen Josephus Roberts
Special Counsel in "Teapot Dome" investigation and trials
1930-1945
Hoover
15. Harlan Fiske Stone
U.S. Attorney General
1925-1946
Coolidge (Assoc., 1925), F. Roosevelt (Chief, 1941)
16. Pierce Butler
County Attorney, Private Practice
1923-1939
Harding
17. George Sutherland
U.S. Senator
1922-1938
Harding
18. Louis Brandeis
Private Practice
1916-1939
Wilson
19. James Clark McReynolds
U.S. Attorney General
1914-1941
Wilson
20. Charles Evans Hughes
Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of State
1910-1916, 1930-1941
Taft (Assoc., 1910), Hoover (Chief, 1930)
21. William Henry Moody
U.S. Attorney General
1906-1910
T. Roosevelt
22. George Shiras, Jr
Private Practice
1892-1903
Harrison
23. Melville Fuller
Private Practice
1888-1910
Cleveland
24. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Senanor
1888-1893
Cleveland
25. Joseph Philo Bradley
Private Practice
1870-1892
Grant
26. Salmon P. Chase
U.S. Treasury Secretary
1864-1873
Lincoln
27. Samuel Freeman Miller
Private Practice
1862-1890
Lincoln
28. Noah Haynes Swayne
U.S. Attorney for Ohio, Ohio Legislator
1862-1881
Lincoln
29. Nathan Clifford
Maine & U.S. Attorney General
1858-1881
Buchanan
30. John Archibald Campbell
Alabama Legislator
1853-1861
Pierce
31. Benjamin Robbins Curtis
Massachusetts Legislator
1851-1857
Fillmore
32. John McKinley
U.S. Senator
1838-1852
Van Buren
33. Roger Brooke Taney
Maryland & U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Treasury Secretary
1836-1864
Jackson
34. Henry Baldwin
U.S. Congressman
1830-1844
Jackson
35. Joseph Story
Speaker of Mass. House of Reps., U.S. Congressman
1812-1845
Madison
36. John Marshall
U.S. Secretary of State
1801-1835
Adams
37. Bushrod Washington
Virginia House of Delegates, Reporter for Virginia Court of Appeals
1799-1829
Adams
38. William Paterson
Governor of New Jersey
1793-1806
Washington
39. John Jay
President of the Continental Congress,U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs
1789-1795
Washington
40. John Rutledge
Governor of South Carolina
1789-1791, 1795
Washington
For those who want the mathematical ratio, as of May 1st, 2010 there have been 111 serving supreme court justices. This means that 40 of the 111 have not been judges, a whopping 36%. Oh and if you're noting it, most of the ones highlighted are also Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, there are at least 10 of them on this list. There have only been 21 and that includes the 4 who only served in that position during the period awaiting the appointment of a new justice. That percentage? Yeah nearly 48%.
So for those of you bitching about lack of judicial experience: please shut the **** up until you've learned your damned American history and how your government works.
Name of Justice
Prior Occupations
Years On Court
Appointed By President:
1. William Rehnquist
Asst. U.S. Attorney General
1972-2005
Nixon (Assoc., 1972), Reagan (Chief, 1986)
2. Lewis Powell
President of the American Bar Ass'n, Private Practice
1972-1987
Nixon
3. Abe Fortas
Private Practice
1965-1969
Johnson
4. Byron White
Deputy U.S. Attorney General
1962-1993
Kennedy
5. Arthur Goldberg
U.S. Secretary of Labor
1962-1965
Kennedy
6. Earl Warren
Governor of California
1953-1969
Eisenhower
7. Tom Clark
U.S. Attorney General
1949-1967
Truman
8. Harold Burton
U.S. Senator
1945-1958
Truman
9. Robert Jackson
U.S. Attorney General
1941-1954
F. Roosevelt
10. James Francis Byrnes
U.S. Senator
1941-1942
F. Roosevelt
11. William O. Douglas
Chairman of the S.E.C.
1939-1975
F. Roosevelt
12. Felix Frankfurter
Asst. U.S. Attorney, Asst. Secretary of War, Prof. of Law at Harvard
1939-1962
F. Roosevelt
13. Stanley Forman Reed
U.S. Solicitor General
1938-1957
F. Roosevelt
14. Owen Josephus Roberts
Special Counsel in "Teapot Dome" investigation and trials
1930-1945
Hoover
15. Harlan Fiske Stone
U.S. Attorney General
1925-1946
Coolidge (Assoc., 1925), F. Roosevelt (Chief, 1941)
16. Pierce Butler
County Attorney, Private Practice
1923-1939
Harding
17. George Sutherland
U.S. Senator
1922-1938
Harding
18. Louis Brandeis
Private Practice
1916-1939
Wilson
19. James Clark McReynolds
U.S. Attorney General
1914-1941
Wilson
20. Charles Evans Hughes
Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of State
1910-1916, 1930-1941
Taft (Assoc., 1910), Hoover (Chief, 1930)
21. William Henry Moody
U.S. Attorney General
1906-1910
T. Roosevelt
22. George Shiras, Jr
Private Practice
1892-1903
Harrison
23. Melville Fuller
Private Practice
1888-1910
Cleveland
24. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Senanor
1888-1893
Cleveland
25. Joseph Philo Bradley
Private Practice
1870-1892
Grant
26. Salmon P. Chase
U.S. Treasury Secretary
1864-1873
Lincoln
27. Samuel Freeman Miller
Private Practice
1862-1890
Lincoln
28. Noah Haynes Swayne
U.S. Attorney for Ohio, Ohio Legislator
1862-1881
Lincoln
29. Nathan Clifford
Maine & U.S. Attorney General
1858-1881
Buchanan
30. John Archibald Campbell
Alabama Legislator
1853-1861
Pierce
31. Benjamin Robbins Curtis
Massachusetts Legislator
1851-1857
Fillmore
32. John McKinley
U.S. Senator
1838-1852
Van Buren
33. Roger Brooke Taney
Maryland & U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Treasury Secretary
1836-1864
Jackson
34. Henry Baldwin
U.S. Congressman
1830-1844
Jackson
35. Joseph Story
Speaker of Mass. House of Reps., U.S. Congressman
1812-1845
Madison
36. John Marshall
U.S. Secretary of State
1801-1835
Adams
37. Bushrod Washington
Virginia House of Delegates, Reporter for Virginia Court of Appeals
1799-1829
Adams
38. William Paterson
Governor of New Jersey
1793-1806
Washington
39. John Jay
President of the Continental Congress,U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs
1789-1795
Washington
40. John Rutledge
Governor of South Carolina
1789-1791, 1795
Washington
For those who want the mathematical ratio, as of May 1st, 2010 there have been 111 serving supreme court justices. This means that 40 of the 111 have not been judges, a whopping 36%. Oh and if you're noting it, most of the ones highlighted are also Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, there are at least 10 of them on this list. There have only been 21 and that includes the 4 who only served in that position during the period awaiting the appointment of a new justice. That percentage? Yeah nearly 48%.
So for those of you bitching about lack of judicial experience: please shut the **** up until you've learned your damned American history and how your government works.