A Brief History of Supreme Court Nominations

This essay provides a brief historical study of the public reaction to several Supreme Court nominees who faced cultural prejudices. It covers the nominations of Chief Justice Roger Taney, who became the first Roman Catholic Justice; Justice Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish member of the Supreme Court; Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black Justice; and the first Latina to join the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The essay concludes with some reflection about how the justices personal backgrounds play into their decisionmaking.