At the center: Chief Justice Edward White.įormer President and then current Chief Justice William Howard Taft, slimmed down from his White House years, is front and center. Newly minted Justice Louis Brandeis, nominated by Woodrow Wilson, joins the Court after his confirmation. Chief Justice Melville Fuller is at the center of the photo. This group picture was taken about two years before the court ruled in Plessey v. This very early Alexander Gardner photographic print shows Chief Justice Salmon Chase in the center just after taking his oath and replacing Roger Taney as the Chief. Looking at 10 notable past Court photos, it is easy to see how times have changed and to recognize some very important Justices through the years. The Library of Congress and other online sources have archives of Supreme Court Justice group photos dating back in 1864.

Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas flank Chief Justice John Roberts. In Thursday’s photo, the newest Justice, Neil Gorsuch, stands of the outside of the back row, with the second newest Justice, Elena Kagan, also on the other outside position on the back row. The rest of the Justices sit in order of seniority alternating from left to right, with the most junior Associate Justice on the far right, if you were to view the bench from the audience.

The Chief Justice sits in the center of the bench, with two senior Associate Justices at his side. This tradition matches in part the protocol used for where Justices sit on the actual bench in the courtroom. In the current Supreme Court protocol, the Justices alternate left and right based on seniority, with the Chief Justice in the center of the photograph, says our Supreme Court correspondent Lyle Denniston, who has covered the Court since 1958. Here’s a look at 10 iconic Court photos and explanation of where the Justices are situated. On Thursday, the Supreme Court posed for a new group photo, continuing a tradition dating back to the Civil War.

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