History of Supreme Court Nominations

Recently, HeinOnline expanded its History of Supreme Court Nominations collection to include four new volumes encapsulating hearings and reports related to Jackson’s confirmation process. These reports cover the extensive questioning by committee members, addressing a wide range of topics including their legal philosophy, judicial record, and views on constitutional issues. Peruse these reports in HeinOnline.

Sandra Day O’Connor passed away at the age of 93. Known as the first woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court Justice, she held the balance of power on the court for almost two decades.
O’Connor, recognized as a moderate conservative, was also well-known for her meticulously researched viewpoints. A true trailblazer for future women of the high court, she was admired for the mark she left in a male-dominated field.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was recently confirmed to the Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman named to the nation’s highest court. Jackson is replacing Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. While her addition to the bench does not upset the conservative 6-3 lean, she will bring a new outlook as a former trial court judge and public defender. Let’s take a closer look at Justice Jackson’s education and career.

Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he is retiring after serving more than two decades on the nation’s highest court. He is known for being the most pragmatic justice on the bench, opposing the originalism approach. Continue reading to learn more about Justice Breyer and how to research his career and major rulings in HeinOnline.

Sonia Sotomayor is known as the first woman of color, first Hispanic, and first Latina member of the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to being the third woman to hold the position, she has a passion for reforming the criminal justice system. Sotomayor has often been referred to as the woman who saved baseball, from her 1995 preliminary injunction against Major League Baseball. In today’s blog, we’ll explore Sotomayor’s education, early legal career, and notable rulings.

HeinOnline is pleased to announce that we’ve now completed the online volumes in The Supreme Court of the United States: Hearings and Reports on Successful and Unsuccessful Nominations of Supreme Court Justices by the Senate Judiciary Committee. We were able to complete this series with the latest release of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination hearings, material so voluminous that it comprises 8 volumes.

The holiday season usually brings up discussions of the First Amendment, cries of interference and discrimination, and askance glances at nativity scenes installed on town hall lawns. Using HeinOnline, let’s clear up some of this Christmastime confusion and see what the Supreme Court has to say on the constitutionality of these displays of cheer.

On September 26th, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative federal appeals court judge, to succeed Ginsburg. If confirmed, Barrett would keep the number of women serving on the Court at three, joining Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. She would also become the youngest member of the Court. Most importantly, she would likely cement a 6-3 conservative majority. Today we will explore Barrett’s career and where she stands on major constitutional issues using HeinOnline.

This past weekend, the nation lost one of its biggest social justice warriors, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After serving on the Supreme Court of the United States for nearly three decades, Ginsburg passed away from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. She was the second female justice, after Sandra Day O’Connor, to serve on the Court and was well known for her fiery dissents, her tireless fight for gender equality, and her ability to overcome adversity. Although she weighed only 100 lbs, this 5’1″ feminist icon was larger than life.

The Supreme Court of the United States, otherwise known as SCOTUS, is the highest tribunal in the nation for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution. It marks the boundaries of authority between state and nation, state and state, and government and citizen. Although SCOTUS receives approximately 7,000-8,000 petitions each term, the justices grant and hear oral arguments for about 80 cases annually. Let’s take a closer look at SCOTUS and see what unique resources you can find in HeinOnline.