List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1838, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom constitute a quorum. Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution grants plenary power to the President of the United States to nominate, and with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, appoint justices to the Supreme Court; justices have life tenure.

Background
The Supreme Court was created by Article III of the United States Constitution, which stipulates that the "judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court,"

Since 1789, Congress has occasionally altered the size of the Supreme Court, historically in response to the country's own expansion in size. Later legislation increased its size to seven members in 1807, and to nine in 1837.

While the justices of the Supreme Court are appointed for life, many have retired or resigned. A retired justice, according to the United States Code, is no longer a member of the Supreme Court, but remains eligible to serve by designation as a judge of a U.S. Court of Appeals or District Court, and many retired justices have served in these capacities. Historically, the average length of service on the Court has been less than 15 years.

Current justices
Below, in order of seniority, are the current justices of the Supreme Court. (The chief justice is first in seniority regardless of his or her length of tenure.)

All justices
Since the Supreme Court was established in 1789, 116 people have served on the Court. The length of service on the Court for the 106 non-incumbent justices ranges from John McLean's to John Rutledge's  as associate justice and, separated by a period of years off the Court, his  as chief justice. The justices of the Supreme Court are:

Timeline of justices
This graphical timeline depicts the progression of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. Information regarding each justice's predecessors, successors, and fellow justices, as well as their tenure on the court, can be gleaned (and comparisons between justices drawn) from it. There are no formal names or numbers for the individual seats of the associate justices, which are listed in the table below simply by number. Additionally, the progression of U.S. presidents is shown at the top of the timeline to give a more detailed historical context.