The Supreme Court Justices- The Burger Court

This post will serve as an introduction to the nine justices that judged Ford’s case.

Chief Justice Warren Burger earned his way through college and law school. He worked as a private lawyer for more than 20 years. He then worked in the Justice Department under President Eisenhower. He was nominated by President Nixon in 1969. He is a conservative and voted with the minority in this specific case.

Justice William Brennan Jr. got his law degree from Harvard. He became a lawyer and worked in New Jersey. He served as a trial judge and was promoted to the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1952. He was nominated by President Eisenhower in 1956. He is a liberal and voted with the majority.

Justice Byron White graduated from the University of Colorado. He then became a Rhodes Scholar and attended Oxford. When he returned to the States he got his law degree from Yale. He was a clerk for Chief Justice Vinson. He was nominated by President Kennedy in 1962. He is a moderate and voted with majority.

Justice Thurgood Marshall graduated from Lincoln University. He got his law degree from Howard University. Marshall was a part of chief counsel in Brown v Board of Education. He was nominated by Johnson in 1967. He is a liberal and wrote the majority opinion. Marshall is the first black to serve on the Supreme Court.

Justice Harry Blackmun graduated and got his law degree from Harvard. He was a clerk for a Federal Appellate judge in Minnesota. President Eisenhower appointed him to the Court of Appeals in the 8^th district. He was nominated by President Nixon in 1970. He is a liberal and voted with the majority.

Justice Lewis Powell Jr. was the president of the American Bar Association. He served on local and state education boards for the state of Virginia. He was nominated by President Nixon in 1971. He is a conservative and wrote a special concurrence.

Justice William Rehnquist served in World War 2 in the Air Force as a weather observer. He graduated and got his law degree from Stanford. He was a clerk for Justice Jackson. He was nominated by President Nixon in 1971. He is a conservative and co-wrote the dissent.

Justice John Stevens graduated from the University of Chicago. He joined the Navy during World War 2 and was awarded a bronze star. He got his law degree from Northwest University. He was a clerk to Justice Rutledge. In 1970 he was appointed to the Court of Appeals in the 7^th district by President Nixon.  He was nominated by President Ford in 1975. He is a moderate and voted with the majority.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor graduated and got her law degree from Stanford. She served as a civilian lawyer for three years in the Quartermaster’s Corp in Germany. She started her own law firm and then took five years off to be a full-time mom. She became the first woman Senate majority leader. She was nominated by President Reagan in 1981. She is a moderate and co-wrote the dissent. She was the first woman Supreme Court Justice.