SUPREME COURT NOMINATIONS TIMETABLE
|
Nominee
|
Seat
Vacancy
|
End
Of Court Term
|
Vacancy
Announced
|
Nominee
Announced
|
First
Hearing
|
Final
Senate Action
|
Total
Duration
|
|
Stephen
G. Breyer
(Clinton)
|
Harry
A. Blackmun
|
6/30/94
|
4/6/94
|
5/14/94
(38 days later)
|
7/12/94
(59 days later)
|
7/29/94
(17 days later)
|
114
days
|
|
Ruth
Bader Ginsburg
(Clinton)
|
Byron
White
|
6/28/93
|
3/19/93
|
6/14/93
(87 days later)
|
7/20/93
(36 days later)
|
8/3/93
(14 days later)
|
137
days
|
|
Clarence
Thomas
(Bush 41)
|
Thurgood
Marshall
|
6/27/91
|
6/27/91
|
7/1/91
(4 days later)
|
9/10/91
(71 days later)
|
10/15/91
(35 days later)
|
110
days
|
|
David
H. Souter
(Bush 41)
|
William
J. Brennan
|
6/27/90
|
7/21/90
|
7/23/90
(2 days later)
|
9/13/90
(52 days later)
|
10/2/90
(19 days later)
|
73
days
|
|
Anthony
M. Kennedy *
(Reagan)
|
Lewis
F. Powell
|
6/26/87
|
6/26/87
|
11/11/87
(138 days later)
|
12/14/87
(33 days later)
|
2/3/88
(51 days later)
|
222
days*
|
|
Robert
H. Bork
(Reagan)
|
Lewis
F. Powell
|
6/26/87
|
6/26/87
|
7/1/87
(5 days later)
|
9/15/87
(76 days later)
|
10/23/87
(38 days later)
|
119
days
|
|
Antonin
Scalia (Reagan)
|
Warren
E. Burger
|
7/7/86
|
6/17/86
|
6/17/86
(0 days later)
|
8/5/86
(49 days later)
|
9/17/86
(43 days later)
|
92
days
|
|
William
H. Rehnquist (CJ)
(Reagan)
|
Warren
E. Burger
|
7/7/86
|
6/17/86
|
6/17/86
(0 days later)
|
7/29/86
(42 days later)
|
9/17/86
(50 days later)
|
92
days
|
|
Sandra
Day O'Connor
(Reagan)
|
Potter
Stewart
|
7/2/81
|
6/18/81
|
7/7/81
(19 days later)
|
9/9/81
(64 days later)
|
9/21/81
(12 days later)
|
95
days
|
Notes
- There has not
been a Supreme Court retirement in over 11 years, making the current Court
the longest-serving nine-Judge roster since 1823. In fact, 56 Senators have
never voted to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.
- If Chief Justice
Rehnquist retires, he could trigger two confirmation processes or just one,
as the President has the option of elevating a current justice or simply naming
a new chief justice. Only 5 of the nation's 16 chief justices were elevated
from a seat on the Supreme Court.
- To make comparisons
of all Supreme Court vacancies dating back 24 years, set aside the two Clinton
announcements (which occurred during the Spring), exclude the Kennedy announcement
(which occurred after Bork was defeated), and combine the Rehnquist/Scalia
nomination together (since WR was nominated to Chief and AS was nominated
to replace the retiring justice). That leaves 5 cases most similar to a potential
retirement/vacancy announcement this summer.
- Most vacancy
announcements coincide with the last day of a Supreme Court's session; 3 of
5 occurred on the last day of the Court's summer session
- The Supreme
Court's 2005 session is expected to end the last week in June.
- Nomination announcements
normally follow shortly after vacancy/retirement announcements.
- In 4 of 5 cases,
the nomination announcement came less than a week after the vacancy
announcement. (In the 5th case, the nomination was announced 3 weeks after
the vacancy announcement.)
- If a retirement/vacancy
happens at the end of June, we could expect that President Bush will announce
the new nominee during the last week in June or the first week in July.
- The Senate -
which alone confirms nominees - historically aspires to confirm a nominee
prior to the beginning of the Supreme Court's next session, which happens
around the first week of October.
- In 4 of 5 cases,
the nominee's first hearing was not until after Labor Day.
- Among these
5 cases, the earliest the Senate completed action was September 17th and the
latest was October 23rd.
Information compiled by Progress for America
Click here for a downloadable PDF version
|
