Which future chief justices were expelled from college?
Future associate and chief justice Harlan Fiske Stone was expelled from Massachusetts Agricultural College for pushing a teacher. Oliver Ellsworth, who was the third chief justice, was dismissed from Yale after his sophomore year.
Which U.S. Supreme Court justices have law schools named after them?
Three justices have law schools named after them: Chief Justice John Marshall (two John Marshall Law Schools—one in Chicago and another in Atlanta—and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at William and Mary in Virginia), Justice Louis Brandeis (the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville), and Justice Thurgood Marshall (the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University).
SPORTS AND GAMES
Which Supreme Court justice was once known as “Whizzer”?
Justice Byron White obtained the nickname “Whizzer” as an All-American running back at the University of Colorado. He played professional football with the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) and, later, the Detroit Lions. In 1938, his rookie season, he led the National Football League in rushing. Long after his football days were over, a waitress once asked White, “Are you Whizzer White?” He answered, “I was.” It was widely known that he disliked the nickname.
Which justice participated in both football and wrestling in high school?
Chief Justice John Roberts captained his high school football team at La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana. He also was a star wrestler, attaining a record of 24–3.
What type of court is found in the Supreme Court Building?
On its top (fourth) floor, the U.S. Supreme Court contains a basketball court for Court employees, law clerks, and even the justices. It is referred to as “the highest court in the land.”
Byron “Whizzer” White, star running back for the University of Colorado. He later played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) and Detroit Lions before going into law. He served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1962 to 1993. Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
What justice did former NBA great Charles Barkley visit in 2004?
Charles Barkley, the former perennial NBA all-star and current NBA television analyst, stopped by the Supreme Court in 2004 to dine with his friend Justice Clarence Thomas in the Court cafeteria.
Which U.S. Supreme Court justice is an expert bridge player?
Justice John Paul Stevens has played in many bridge tournaments in the Washington, D.C., area. He is a life-master bridge player, the highest ranking in the American Contract Bridge League.
MISCELLANEOUS TRIVIA
Who are the only Supreme Court justices to sign the Declaration of Independence?
James Wilson and Samuel Chase are the only justices to sign the Declaration of Independence. Both were members of the Continental Congress—Wilson from Pennsylvania, and Chase from Maryland. Edward Rutledge, brother of Justice John Rutledge, also signed the famous document.
Which justice tried to drown himself after the Senate failed to confirm his nomination for chief justice?
John Rutledge, a former associate justice whom President George Washington nominated as chief justice in 1795 as a recess appointment, tried to drown himself after hearing news of his rejection by the Senate. He was saved by a couple of slaves.
Which future Supreme Court justices met each other in a state court case?
Future chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Roger B. Taney tried his first case before future justice Gabriel Duvall, then a state judge in Maryland, in 1799.
Which justice killed a man in a duel?
Justice Henry Brockholst Livingston, who served on the Court from 1807 to 1823, killed a man in a duel in 1798. Livingston, who had switched from the Federalist Party to the Democratic-Republican Party, had written an article mocking the Federalists. An angry Federalist reportedly punched Livingston, which led to the duel. Some sources report that Livingston was actually involved in several duels and was prone to violence.
Which former U.S. Supreme Court justice prosecuted alleged ax-murderer Lizzie Borden?
William Moody, who served on the Court from 1906 to 1910, prosecuted Lizzie Borden when he was a district attorney in Massachusetts. Borden was immortalized in the famous verse: “Lizzie Borden took an axe / And gave her mother forty whacks. / And when she saw what she had done, / She gave her father forty-one.”
Borden allegedly killed her father and stepmother with an ax in Fall River, Massachusetts. Moody assisted in the prosecution even though the crime took place outside the Eastern District of Massachusetts, where he was district attorney. Borden was acquitted.
Which Supreme Court justices have been Catholic?
The first Catholic appointed to the Court was Chief Justice Roger Taney, nominated to the Court by President Andrew Jackson in 1835. The other Catholic justices are: Edward D. White, Joseph McKenna, Pierce Butler, Frank Murphy, William Brennan, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito.
Which U.S. Supreme Court justices have been Jewish?
The first Jewish justice was Louis Brandeis, nominated to the Court by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. The other Jewish justices are Benjamin Cardozo, Felix Frankfurter, Arthur J. Goldberg, Abe Fortas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer.
Who was the tallest U.S. Supreme Court justice?
Horace Gray, who served on the Court from 1882 to 1902, was the tallest justice at six feet six inches tall. Gray reached this height at the age of thirteen.
Who was the shortest U.S. Supreme Court justice?
Alfred Moore, who served on the Court from 1800 to 1804, was the smallest justice at less than five feet tall and weighing less than 90 pounds.
Which justice was disbarred twice?
Justice Stephen Field was disbarred twice while serving in an administrative position in Marysville, California. He was also jailed for contempt of court. The setbacks proved to be temporary as Field later served six years on the California Supreme Court before his thirty-four-year tenure on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Who is the only Supreme Court justice to play the role of a justice in a movie?
Justice Harry Blackmun starred as Justice Joseph Story in the movie Amistad in 1997. The Steven Spielberg–directed movie was popular with audiences and garnered four Academy Award nominations.
Which U.S. Supreme Court justice has made more than one singing appearance at the Washington Opera?
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participated with Justice Antonin Scalia as an extra in 1994 for a production of Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2003, Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Anthony Kennedy served as extras for a 2003 production of Die Fledermaus.