from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
SUPREME COURT. The court of the highest jurisdiction in the United States,
having appellate jurisdiction over all the other courts of the United.
States, is so called. Its powers are examined under the article Courts of
the United States.
2. The following list of the judges who have had seats on the bench of
this court is given for the purpose of reference. Chief Justices. John Jay,
appointed September 26, 1789, resigned in 1795. John Rutledge, appointed
July 1, 1795, resigned in 1796. Oliver Ellsworth, appointed March 4, 1796,
resigned in 1801. John Marshall, appointed January 31, 1801, died July 6,
1835. Roger B. Taney, appointed March 15, 1836. Associate Justices. William
Cushing, appointed September 27, 1789, died in 1811. James Wilson, appointed
September 29, 1789, died in 1798. John Blair, appointed September 30, 1789,
died in 1796. James Iredell, appointed February 10, 1790, died in 1799.
Thomas Johnson, appointed November 7, 1791, resigned in 1793. William
Patterson, appointed March 4, 1793, in the place of Judge Johnson, died in
1806. Samuel Chase, appointed January 7, 1796, in the place of Judge Blair,
died in 1811. Bushrod Washington, appointed December 20,1798, in the place
of Judge Wilson, died November 26, 1829. Alfred Moore, appointed December
10, 1799 in the place of Judge Iredell, resigned in 1864. William Johnson,
appointed March 6, 1804, in the place of Judge Moore, died in 1835.
Brockholst Livingston, appointed November 10, 1806, in the place of Judge
Patterson, died in 1823. Thomas Todd, appointed March 3, 1807, under the act
of congress of February, 1807, providing for an additional justice, died in
1826. Gabriel Duval, appointed November 18, 1811, in the place of Judge
Chase, resigned in January, 1835. Joseph Story, appointed November 18, 1811,
in the place of Judge Cushing. Smith Thompson, appointed December 9, 1823,
in the place of, Judge Livingston, deceased. Robert Trimble, appointed May
9, 1826, in the place of Judge Todd, died in 1829. John McLean, appointed
March 1829, in the place of Judge Trimble, deceased. Henry Baldwin,
appointed January 1830, in the place of Judge Washington, deceased. James M.
Wayne, appointed January 9, 1835, in the place of Judge Johnson, deceased.
Philip P. Barbour, appointed March 15, 1836, died February 25,1841. John
Catron, appointed March 8, 1837, under the act of congress providing for two
additional judges. John McKinley, appointed September 25, 1837, under the
last mentioned act. Peter V. Daniel, appointed March 3, 1841, in the place
of Judge Barbour, deceased. Samuel Nelson, appointed February 14, 1845, in
the place of Judge Thompson, deceased. Levi Woodbury, appointed September
20, 1845, in the recess of senate, in the place of Judge Story, deceased:
his nomination confirmed January 3, 1846. Robert C. Grier, appointed August
4, 1846, in the place of Judge Baldwin, deceased. Benj. Robbins Curtis,
appointed 1851, in the recess of the senate, in the place of Judge Woodbury,
deceased: his nomination confirmed The present judges of the supreme court
are, Chief Justice. Roger B. Taney. Associate Justices. John McLean, James
M. Wayne, John Catron, John McKinley, Peter V. Daniel, Samuel Nelson, Robert
C. Grier, and B. Robbins Curtis.
3. In the several states there are also supreme courts; their powers
and jurisdiction will be found under the names of the several states.