How many Supreme Court justices went to Harvard?
Asked by: Bessie Gerlach | Last update: February 19, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (69 votes)
As of early 2026, there are four current U.S. Supreme Court Justices who graduated from Harvard Law School: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, while four others graduated from Yale Law, highlighting the dominance of these two schools in recent decades. Historically, many justices have attended Harvard Law, with 18 total graduates by 2009, though exact numbers fluctuate with new appointments and retirements.
What percent of Supreme Court justices went to Harvard?
Between 1902 and 2010, fifty-six justices were confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Included in this number are nineteen Harvard and Yale law graduates, accounting for a total of approximately 34 percent. Since 1980, Harvard and Yale graduates have accounted for approximately 82 percent of confirmed justices.
Which college has the most Supreme Court justices?
Four or more justices
- Harvard Law School – 22 alumni; 18 graduates. Harry Blackmun. Louis Brandeis. ...
- Yale Law School – 11 alumni, 9 graduates. Samuel Alito. Henry Billings Brown – also studied law at Harvard, did not receive law degree from either. ...
- Columbia Law School – 7 alumni, 4 graduates. Benjamin N.
How many Supreme Court justices went to Harvard Suits?
In this episode Mike (Patrick J. Adams) correctly answers that 6 supreme court judges came from Harvard. This answer was given to him in Series 1 episode 1 (Pilot (2011)), when the tour guide says it to him and prospective students.
How many Supreme Court justices went to the Ivy Leagues?
Current justices
All eight of the current Supreme Court justices received their law degrees from Ivy League schools.
HLS in the World | A Conversation with Six Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court
How many Scotus justices went to Yale?
“Seven justices went to an Ivy League undergraduate school. Eight justices went to Yale or Harvard Law School. Six justices clerked on the Supreme Court, the hardest job in America to get when you graduate from law school. Three of the current justices replaced the justice they clerked for.
What are the 63 hidden Ivies?
Other schools that are regularly referred to as Little Ivies or Hidden Ivies include:
- Amherst College. Location: Amherst, MA. ...
- Barnard College. Location: New York, NY. ...
- Bates College. Location: Lewiston, ME. ...
- Boston College. Location: Chestnut Hill, MA. ...
- Bowdoin College. ...
- Brandeis University. ...
- Bryn Mawr College. ...
- Bucknell University.
Did Mike get his Harvard degree?
The lawyer who isn't actually a lawyer, Mike Ross spends many episodes of Suits trying to keep his secret concealed. In the series premiere, he stumbles into a job interview with Harvey and tells him the truth: He was kicked out of college and lost his admission to Harvard Law School.
Who appointed more judges, Trump or Obama?
While President Obama appointed more judges overall (around 330-334) across his two terms compared to Donald Trump's single term (around 226-245), Trump appointed a higher proportion of powerful appellate court judges and more Supreme Court justices (three vs. Obama's two), significantly shifting the courts' ideological balance, especially the circuit courts.
Did any Supreme Court justices go to Stanford?
Remarkably, Stanford has helped shape four of the justices, including one William Hubbs Rehnquist, '48, MA '48, JD '52, who has been chief justice since 1986. His service on the court provides a moment to analyze his legacy, and to pay tribute. Charles Lane's story on page 42 does both.
Why did Ruth Bader Ginsburg transfer out of Harvard?
Her husband recovered from cancer, graduated from Harvard, and moved to New York City to accept a position at a law firm there. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had one more year of law school left, so she transferred to Columbia Law School and served on their law review as well.
Who is the best Supreme Court Justice ever?
No matter what selection criteria were used or whether the lists included state as well as United States Supreme Court justices, three people are always present: John Marshall, Joseph Story, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. These three un- doubtedly would head the roster of the best Supreme Court justices.
Which Supreme Court Justice did not go to law school?
Many of the 18th and 19th century Justices studied law under a mentor because there were few law schools in the country. The last Justice to be appointed who did not attend any law school was James F. Byrnes (1941-1942). He did not graduate from high school and taught himself law, passing the bar at the age of 23.
What was Obama's LSAT score?
Barack Obama's specific LSAT score has never been officially released, but it's widely believed he scored very highly (likely above 170, potentially near perfect) to gain admission to Harvard Law School despite a lower undergraduate GPA, suggesting he was in the top few percentile of test-takers for his application year. While no official number exists, analyses point to a score in the top tier (e.g., 94th-98th percentile) to overcome his GPA for admission to a top-ranked program like Harvard.
Did Kamala Harris graduate from Harvard Law School?
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.
What is the #1 law school in the world?
While rankings vary by source, Harvard Law School consistently ranks as the #1 law school globally in major rankings like QS and Research.com, often followed closely by universities such as Yale, Oxford, Stanford, and Cambridge, with US schools dominating the top spots. Harvard is known for its prestige, extensive resources like the world's largest academic law library, and influential alumni network.
Why couldn't Obama appoint a Supreme Court justice?
With the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016 in the beginning of a presidential election year, the Republican majority in the Senate made it their stated policy to refuse to consider any nominee to the Supreme Court, arguing that the next president should be the one to appoint Scalia's replacement.
How many judges did Joe Biden appoint?
The total number of Article III judges nominated by Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate was 235, including one associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 45 judges for the United States courts of appeals, 187 judges for the United States district courts and two judges for the United States ...
How much do Supreme Court justices make?
As of early 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice earns around $317,500, while Associate Justices earn about $303,600, with slight variations depending on the source and specific effective date, reflecting annual adjustments set by Congress. These figures represent significant increases over recent years, with salaries rising from the $274,200 (Associate) and $286,700 (Chief) in 2022.
What is Mike Ross's IQ?
Mike Ross's IQ isn't officially stated in Suits, but fans and analyses estimate it's extremely high (around 150-190+) due to his photographic/eidetic memory, allowing him to recall vast amounts of legal information, making him a savant in law despite lacking a degree, a trait often associated with exceptional cognitive abilities and fast learning.
Can you take the NY bar without going to law school?
The applicant must study law in the law office for a period of four years under the supervision of an attorney who is admitted to practice law in New York . (Credit toward this four year requirement is given for successfully completed semesters in an ABA approved law school.)
Why did Mike go to jail?
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore went to jail for tax evasion, specifically for failing to pay taxes on nearly $9 million in income he earned between 2010 and 2012 by creating fake businesses to hide income. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2018 to eight months in prison, followed by supervised release, community service, and restitution.
What is the cheapest Ivy to attend?
There's no single "cheapest" Ivy League as costs vary greatly by financial aid, but Princeton and Harvard often have the lowest sticker prices due to massive endowments, while Cornell and Dartmouth are also noted for affordability with strong financial aid, meeting 100% need for many, making them effectively cheap or even free for lower-income families, notes Prep Expert and Mastersportal. For low-income students (e.g., family income <$150k), Princeton offers tuition-free education, and Harvard also provides significant aid, making them the most affordable in practice, according to CollegeVine and The 74 Million.
Why is MIT not Ivy League?
MIT isn't an Ivy League school because the Ivy League is a specific NCAA Division I athletic conference of eight older Northeastern universities, while MIT is a science/tech-focused institute that competes in Division III athletics and doesn't meet the Ivies' specific conference criteria, though it's academically on par or even surpasses many Ivies in STEM fields. The term "Ivy League" originated from athletic rivalries and shared traditions among these older schools, not purely academic standing.
Is a 3.7 GPA bad for the Ivy League?
A 3.7 GPA isn't inherently "bad," but it's on the lower end for highly competitive Ivy League admissions, making you a reach applicant who needs exceptional strengths in other areas like extracurriculars, essays, and test scores to stand out against many applicants with near-perfect grades. Your chances improve significantly if it's an unweighted GPA with rigorous courses (AP/Honors) and an upward trend, or if you have unique talents (athletics, STEM spike), but it's challenging unless you're a recruited athlete or come from a highly elite school that feeds Ivies.