The Vinson Court

SCOTUS
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Judgeships
	Posts: 9
	Judges: 9
Judges
	Chief: John Roberts
	Active: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

The Vinson Court lasted from June 1946 until September 1953, during the presidencies of Harry Truman (D) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (R).

Frederick Vinson received his nomination for Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from President Harry Truman on June 6, 1946, and was confirmed by the Senate on June 20, 1946. He received his commission on June 21, 1946, and served until his death on September 8, 1953.^[1]

Associate justices

The justices in this table served on the Vinson Court.

Tenure	Justice	Nominated By
1937-1971	Hugo Black	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1938-1957	Stanley Reed	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1939-1962	Felix Frankfurter	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1939-1975	William Douglas	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1940-1949	Frank Murphy	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1941-1954	Robert H. Jackson	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1943-1949	Wiley Rutledge	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1945-1958	Harold Burton	Harry Truman
1949-1967	Tom Clark	Harry Truman
1949-1956	Sherman Minton	Harry Truman

Major cases

Sweatt v. Painter (1950)

In 1946, University of Texas Law School denied admission to Herman Marion Sweatt on the basis of his race. Sweatt was a Black man. He appealed to the court to reconsider his admission, the school attempted to provide separate but equal facilities. On June 5, 1950, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that this violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, holding that the separate facility would have been inferior in several areas and that the separation in and of itself was harmful to students.^[2]

McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950)

George W. McLaurin was admitted into the graduate program for Education of Oklahoma State, but separated from other students because of his race. George W. McLaurin was a Black man. In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court held that his separation violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.^[3]

Details
Author: Frederick Vinson (wrote a plurality opinion) Vote Count: 6-2 Majority Justices: Vinson, Reed, Burton, Minton Concurring Justices: Frankfurter, Jackson Dissenting Justices: Black, Douglas

Dennis v. United States (1951)

The Smith Act was established to prohibit individuals from conspiring to advocate the overthrow or destruction of the U.S. government. Party members who had been petitioning for socialist reforms claimed that the Act violated their First Amendment rights. In 1948, 11 Communist Party leaders were convicted for violating the Act. On June 4, 1951, in a 6-2 decision with Justice Clark not participating, the Supreme Court affirmed the previous decisions, determining that the Act did not violate their First Amendment rights. In the plurality opinion, the court distinguished between advocating and discussing the issue, with advocating being a danger to the United States. With advocacy deemed as a more severe element, the determination of whether or not the group could be successful was not necessary.^[4]

Briggs v. Elliot (1952)

Rev. J. A. DeLaine taught in the rural St. Paul primary schools and often served as a pastor to several Black churches. Because the Black children had to walk to school eight miles each way, he sought transportation for them. Despite providing buses for the white children, the school district would not fund a bus for Black residents. DeLaine sued in federal court, seeking busing and equal education. This case became part of the Brown v. Board of Education case.
The court's majority ruled:

“	The District Court in this case decided that constitutional and statutory provisions of South Carolina requiring separate schools for the white and colored races did not, of themselves, violate the Fourteenth Amendment, but ordered the school officials to proceed at once to furnish equal educational facilities and to report to the court within six months what action had been taken. After an appeal to this Court had been docketed, the required report was filed in the District Court. Held: in order that this Court may have the benefit of the views of the District Court upon the additional facts brought out in the report, and that the District Court may have the opportunity to take whatever action it may deem appropriate in light of that report, the judgment is vacated and the case is remanded for further proceedings. Pp. 342 U. S. 350-352.^[5]	”
—U.S. Supreme Court

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer: Details
Author: Hugo L. Black Vote Count: 6-3 Concurring Justices: Black, Frankfurter, Douglas, Jackson, Burton, Clark Dissenting Justices: Vinson, Reed, Minton

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)

President Truman issued an executive order directing Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer to take control of most of the nation's steel mills during the Korean War. This was an attempt by Truman to avoid an anticipated labor strike by the United Steelworkers of America. On June 2, 1952, the Supreme Court determined that the president did not have the power to take control of private property. Furthermore, the president's military power could not extend to labor disputes.^[6]

About the court

See also: Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.^[7]

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the United States Senate per Article II of the United States Constitution. As federal judges, the justices serve during "good behavior," which means that justices have tenure for life unless they are removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction.^[8]

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess.^[9]^[10] Breyer assumed senior status on June 30, 2022.^[11] Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to fill the vacancy by the Senate in a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022.^[12] Click here to read more.

The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress.

The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.^[8]

Number of seats on the Supreme Court over time

See also: History of the Supreme Court

Number of Justices	Set by	Change
Chief Justice + 5 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1789
Chief Justice + 4 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1801 (later repealed)	-1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Seventh Circuit Act of 1807	+2
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837	+2
Chief Justice + 9 Associate Justices	Tenth Circuit Act of 1863	+1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Judicial Circuits Act of 1866	-3
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1869	+2