A total of 116 people have served on the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest judicial body in the United States, since it was established in 1789. Supreme Court justices have life tenure, meaning that they serve until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed from office. For the 107 non-incumbent justices, the average length of service was 6,203 days (16 years, 359 days). The longest serving justice was William O. Douglas, with a tenure of 13,358 days (). The longest serving chief justice was John Marshall, with a tenure of 12,570 days (). John Rutledge, who served on the court twice, was both the shortest serving associate justice, with a tenure of 383 days (), and the shortest serving chief justice, with a tenure of 138 days (). Among the current members of the court, Clarence Thomas' tenure of days () is the longest, while Ketanji Brown Jackson's days () is the shortest.
The table below ranks all United States Supreme Court justices by time in office. For five individuals confirmed for associate justice, and who later served as chief justice—Charles Evans Hughes, William Rehnquist, John Rutledge, Harlan F. Stone, and Edward Douglass White—their cumulative length of service on the court is measured. The basis of the ranking is the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days all the figures would be one greater, with the exception of Charles Evans Hughes and John Rutledge, who would receive two days, as each served on the court twice (their service as associate justice and as chief justice was separated by a period of years off the court). The start date given for each justice is the day they took the prescribed oath of office, with the end date being the date of the justice's death, resignation, or retirement. A highlighted row indicates a justice currently serving on the court.
Justices by time in office RankNameDurationDurationStartEnd12Incumbent345(CJ)6789(CJ)September 26, 1986September 26, 1986September 3, 200510111213141516171819(CJ)2021222324(CJ)December 19, 1910December 19, 1910May 19, 1921252627282930313233343536373839(CJ)40(CJ)July 2, 1941July 3, 1941April 22, 194641(CJ)Incumbent42Incumbent434445464748495051525354(CJ)55Incumbent56(CJ)17 years, 5 daysJune 10, 1916February 24, 1930June 30, 1941575859Incumbent6061(CJ)626364656667686970(CJ)717273747576777879Incumbent8081828384(CJ)85(CJ)8687Incumbent8889(CJ)9091929394959697Incumbent9899100(CJ)101 (tie)103104105(CJ)106107Incumbent108109110111112113114(CJ)1 year, 156 daysAugust 12, 1795March 5, 1791December 28, 1795115116
Notes
See also List of United States federal judges by longevity of service
References