serving on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Justice Joseph Story taught at Harvard Law School beginning in 1829. He taught at Harvard while he served on the Court until 1845.
Which twentieth century U.S. Supreme Court justices never received a high school diploma?
Amazingly, Justice Charles Evans Whittaker, who served on the Court from 1957 to 1962, never graduated from high school or college. He obtained entrance to Kansas City Law School based on high test scores. Similarly, Justice James Francis Byrnes also never graduated from high school. He dropped out of school at age 14 to work as a law clerk.
Which justices who served entirely during the twentieth century never obtained a law degree?
Justice Robert Jackson, who served from 1941 to 1954, attended Albany Law School but did not graduate. He was admitted to the bar after attending only one year of law school. Justice Stanley Reed, who served from 1938 to 1957, studied law at both the University of Virginia and Columbia University, but did not graduate. He also studied international law at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Pierce Butler, who served from 1922 to 1939, did not attend law school. He learned the practice of law under a St. Paul law firm. George Sutherland, who served from 1922 to 1938, attended the University of Michigan Law School but did not graduate. John Hessin Clarke, who served from 1916 to 1922, did not attend law school, learning law from his father. Mahlon Pitney, who served from 1912 to 1922, did not graduate and also learned law from his father. Joseph Rucker Lamar, who served from 1911 to 1916, attended Washington and Lee University in 1877 but did not graduate. William Rufus Day, who served from 1903 to 1922, attended the University of Michigan law school but did not graduate. William Henry Moody, who served from 1906 to 1910, attended Harvard Law School in 1876–1877 but did not graduate.
Which justice left his high school after a fight?
Justice Joseph Story left Marblehead Academy after being severely disciplined for a fight. Story then went to Harvard.
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
