Results for “how many justices are on the supreme court” · retrieved September 22, 2026
There are nine justices on the Supreme Court of the United States, consisting of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.
The Supreme Court of the United States is composed of nine justices: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. This number was established by the Judiciary Act of 1869 and has remained unchanged since that time. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1, the Court is officially defined as consisting of a Chief Justice and eight associate justices. Any six of these justices constitute a quorum for the Court to conduct business.
Answer details
Key point 1
The Constitution gives Congress the authority to determine the number of justices on the Supreme Court.
Key point 2
The number of justices has fluctuated throughout history, ranging from as few as five to as many as ten, before being fixed at nine by the Judiciary Act of 1869.
Key point 3
Federal law (28 U.S.C. § 1) formally mandates that the Court consist of one Chief Justice and eight associate justices.
Key point 4
For the Court to conduct business, at least six justices must be present to constitute a quorum.
Sources 8
About this answerJustices
Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, and there have been 104 Associate Justices in the Court’s history.
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Justices
Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, and there have been 104 Associate Justices in the Court’s history.
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Frequently Asked Questions: General Information - Supreme Court of the United States
Who decides how many Justices are on the Court? Have there always been nine?...The Constitution places the power to determine the number of Justices in the hands of Congress. The first Judiciary Act, passed in 1789, set the number of Justices at six, one Chief Justice and five Associates. Over the years Congress has passed various acts to change this number, fluctuating from a low of five to a high of ten. The Judiciary Act of 1869 fixed the numb
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About the Court - Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress. The number of Associate Justices is currently fixed at eight (28 U. S. C. §1). Power to nominate the Justices is vested in the President of the United States, and appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate. Chief Justice of the United States...John G. Roberts, Jr. Associate Justices Clarence
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28 USC 1: Number of justices; quorum
§1. Number of justices; quorum...The Supreme Court of the United States shall consist of a Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom shall constitute a quorum.
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The Court as an Institution - Supreme Court of the United States
the Nation's Capital, and was initially composed of a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices. For the first 101 years of the Supreme Court’s life -- but for a brief period in the early...The number of Justices on the Supreme Court changed six times before settling at the present total of nine in 1869. Since the formation of the Court in 1790, there have been only 17 Chief Justices\* and 104 Associate Justices, with Justices serving for an aver
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About the Supreme Court
Article III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary. Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it. Congress first exercised this power in the Judiciary Act of 1789. This A
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Current Members
’s Office from 1982–1986, and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General from 1989–1993. From 1986–1989 and 1993–2003, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. He served as a Judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2003–2005. Nominated as Chief Justice of the United States by President George W. Bush, he assumed that office on September 29, 2005. Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice, was born in the Pinpoint community near S
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