Do Supreme Court justices need a law degree?
Asked by: Cecile Langosh | Last update: September 23, 2025Score: 4.4/5 (43 votes)
Do you have to be a lawyer or attend law school to be a Supreme Court Justice? The Constitution does not specify qualifications for Justices such as age, education, profession, or native-born citizenship. A Justice does not have to be a lawyer or a law school graduate, but all Justices have been trained in the law.
How many Supreme Court justices have no law degree?
In total, of the 114 justices appointed to the Court, 49 have had law degrees, an additional 18 attended some law school but did not receive a degree, and 47 received their legal education without any law school attendance. Currently serving justices are listed in bold below.
Can you be a judge in the US without a law degree?
Not every type of judgeship requires that you get a law degree and become a lawyer. But if you want to qualify to become a judge in a higher court, you must attend an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school and get a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
Which judge does not have to be a lawyer?
Surprisingly, there are two important instances where a non-attorney can become a judge: One is on the United States Supreme Court (there have been non-attorney justices) and the other is at the least end of the scale, in many states the lowest level judge (called a Justice Court Judge in Mississippi) does not have to ...
What are the only two requirements for a Supreme Court justice?
Generally speaking, there are no formal requirements in the Constitution for who may serve as a Supreme Court justice. Article II, Section 2, sets out the appointment power. Here's the text of Article II, Section 2: The president “shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint . . .
Why aren't Supreme Court Justices required to have a law degree?
What are the qualifications for being a Supreme Court justice?
To be eligible for appointment, a person must have been a member of the State Bar of California or a judge of a court in this state for at least 10 years. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in proceedings for extraordinary relief in the form of mandamus, certiorari, and prohibition.
Does Kamala Harris have a law degree?
She graduated in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. Harris then attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where she served as president of its chapter of the Black Law Students Association. She graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1989.
Does judge Judy have a law degree?
Get this – out of 126 students in her class, Judy was the only woman! She finished her law school degree in 1965 at New York Law School. Female law graduates back then ended up doing legal admin work instead of actually being lawyers in court like the guys did.
Can a Supreme Court justice be removed by the president?
Article III states that these judges “hold their office during good behavior,” which means they have a lifetime appointment, except under very limited circumstances. Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate.
Is it harder to become a judge or lawyer?
Both are challenging, but, in California, it's more difficult to become a state court judge. I've been fortunate to have filled both positions, but haven't practiced or presided in about 3 years due to a serious accident.
Can you be a lawyer without a law degree in USA?
In four states—California, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington—you can become a licensed attorney without attending law school at all. In three other states—Maine, New York, and Wyoming—one can substitute an apprenticeship for one or two years of law school.
Who was the last Justice without a law degree?
The last Justice to be appointed who did not attend any law school was James F. Byrnes (1941-1942).
Are there any federal judges without law degrees?
Interestingly, a candidate for a federal judge position does not even need to have a law degree to be nominated. Naturally, the senators involved in confirming an appointment will usually review a candidate's background and will be unlikely to confirm an appointment if a candidate lacks relevant experience.
What does Judge Judy get paid?
Her contract allowed her to work just 52 days annually, with each taping day comprising ten to twelve cases. This meant that within a single day, she would film enough episodes for a week, earning approximately $900,000 per week for her role as a TV judge.
Did Judge Judy pass the bar?
Judith Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, is an American lawyer, judge, television personality and author. She passed the New York bar exam in 1965 and became a prosecutor in the family court system.
Does Sarah Rose have a law degree?
Rose recently completed her law school studies, having received her Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School, becoming the Sheindlin family's third generation of lawyers from the school's program.
Do most presidents have law degrees?
Although a majority of past US presidents — 25 out of 44 — have come from a background in the law, this doesn't mean that a law degree is required to become president. You can even become president if you're a law school dropout, as demonstrated Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt.
What actress has a law degree?
Gemma Chan
Before starting her acting career, Chan studied law and obtained her law degree from the University of Oxford Law School in England.
Where did Biden go to college?
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden moved with his family to Delaware in 1953. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 and the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. He was elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and the U.S. Senate in 1972.
Do Supreme Court justices get paid after they retire?
(a) Any justice or judge of the United States appointed to hold office during good behavior may retire from the office after attaining the age and meeting the service requirements, whether continuous or otherwise, of subsection (c) and shall, during the remainder of his lifetime, receive an annuity equal to the salary ...
How many hours do Supreme Court judges work?
They generally work much more than 40 hours/week. They each have clerks assigned to them, which is a highly prized job for an attorney. A number of Supreme Court justices had previously served as clerks to justices.