He is the author of "The Everything American Presidents Book" and "Colonial Life: Government. Gay marriage, voter rights, U.S. immigration policy, carbon emissions, school prayer, abortion, labor unions, affirmative action and racial bias in law enforcement are among the hot-button issues … Undergraduate education: Cornell University, degree in government, Law School: Went to Harvard Law School before transferring to Columbia Law School, Source: Oyez Project, Business Insider, ACLU. Bush, Souter served as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from May 1990 to October 1990. But this is not true you just need that … During that time, he also taught part-time at Yale Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center, and Harvard Law School. Some served as clerks to other judges after law school, and many were judges on circuit courts before being nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. He also studied at Magdalen College at Oxford University. Roberts was a clerk for Judge Henry Friendly of the US Court of Appeals for the Second District and later for Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist when the latter was an associate justice. Top 5 Conservative Supreme Court Justices, Judicial Selection and the Qualities That Make a 'Good' Judge. Before being nominated, Gorsuch was a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 2006 to 2017. Thursday, March 9, 2017 | Judy Berthiaume Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Email; Does the U.S. Supreme Court matter in your day-to-day life? Before being nominated by Bill Clinton, Breyer was a judge and then chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Stevens was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge before working at a law firm. Most of the student think, to become a Supreme Court judge you have to be stood number one in your all your academics. Undergraduate education: Harvard University, degree in history. O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. However, since the Senate confirms justices, experience and background have become important factors in the confirmations, and conventions have been developed and largely followed since the first selection of the court during the first president's term of office. Undergraduate education: Georgetown University, degree in history. He also studied at Magdalen College at Oxford before going to Harvard Law School. In addition to going to law school, he earned a master's in Political Science at Stanford and a master's in government from Harvard University. Recommendations for a Supreme Court vacancy can come from a variety of places. The Senate must vote to confirm the candidate. You can do your 12 th either from open school or regular school. No age, education, job experience, or citizenship rules exist. Undergraduate education: Stanford University, degree in political science. Most recent Supreme Court Justices have taken similar educational and career paths to the highest court in the US. Previously, she was a professor at Harvard Law School before becoming the school's first female dean. Undergraduate education: Harvard University, degree in philosophy. is a vacancy on the court, it is the job of the President to nominate a suitable candidate. However, Republican Senator Mitt Romney's support along with that of most other Republican senators means Trump will likely get to choose Ginsburg's replacement. Before being nominated, Scalia was a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia from 1982 to 1986. Kavanaugh was a clerk for Judge Walter Stapleton of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1990 to 1991 and for Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit from 1991 to 1992. Before being nominated as an associate justice by Ronald Reagan, Rehnquist was assistant attorney general for the Justice Department from 1969 to 1971. ", ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. However, five of the total 17 chief justices were previously associates per the official Supreme Court Justice website. Many of these justices studied at Harvard or Yale Law School. Undergraduate education: Columbia University, degree in political science, Source: Supreme Court of the United States. Before being nominated, Alito worked for about three years as a US attorney for the District of New Jersey and was a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The current justices went to … Undergraduate education: Stanford, degree in economics. Undergraduate education: Yale University, degree in history, Source: Supreme Court of the United States, Britannica, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Stuart Bee: Missing boater is found clinging to his capsized boat off Florida's east coast, Donilon no longer in the running to be Biden's CIA director. The Supreme Court was established as a body in Article 3 of the Constitution, signed in convention in 1787. The first U.S. President George Washington (1789–1797) had, of course, the most number of nominees to the Supreme Court—14, although only 11 made it to the court. In fact, according to the Constitution, a Supreme Court justice does not need to even have a law degree. Undergraduate education: Washington and Lee University, Law Schools: Washington and Lee University School of Law, Harvard Law School. Undergraduate education: Harvard University, degree in mathematics. Support and advocacy of the U.S. Constitution, Distinguished service in the American Revolution, Active participation in the political life of a particular state or the nation as a whole, Prior judicial experience on lower tribunals, Either a "favorable reputation with his fellows" or personally known to Washington himself, Geographic suitability—the original Supreme Court were circuit riders, The ability to think and write logically and lucidly, Ability to handle judicial power sensibly, Balancing "representation" or "representativeness" on the court (by region, race, gender, religion). Before being nominated by Richard Nixon, Powell was chairman of the Virginia Board of Education from 1968 to 1969 and served on the board from 1961 to 1969. Several political scientists and others have attempted to assemble a list of criteria that make a good federal judge, more as an exercise of looking at the past history of the court. 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