Courts, Rights, and the Rule of Law

The four women who have served as justices on the Supreme Court of the United States:
Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan

The United States Supreme Court has the job of interpreting and judging the legality of laws passed by Congress and actions taken by the Executive branch.  The court is made up of nine justices who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.  A justice serves on the court for life.  Take a moment to read the interesting facts below about several of the Supreme Court justices.  

• The first African American justice was Thurgood Marshall, and he was confirmed in 1967;
• The first Hispanic justice was Sonia Sotomayor, and she was confirmed in 2009;
• The first female justice was Sandra Day O'Connor, and she was confirmed in 1981;
• There have only been four women justices: Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan; and
• The longest serving justice was William O. Douglass, and he served from 1939 to 1975.