The Warren Court

SCOTUS
Cases by term
	2025-2026 term2024-2025 term2023-2024 term2022-2023 term2021-2022 term2020-2021 term2019-2020 term2018-2019 term2017-2018 term2016-2017 term2015-2016 termSubmit
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 Warren Court lasted from October 1953 until June 1969, during the presidencies of Dwight D. Eisenhower (R), John F. Kennedy (D), and Lyndon Johnson (D).

Earl Warren received a recess appointment for Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from President Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 2, 1953. On January 11, 1954, Eisenhower nominated him to the same position. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1954, and received commission on March 20, 1954. Warren assumed senior status on June 23, 1969, and served until his death on July 9, 1974.^[1]

Associate justices

The justices in this table served on the Warren 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
1941-1954	Robert H. Jackson	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1945-1958	Harold Burton	Harry Truman
1949-1956	Sherman Minton	Harry Truman
1949-1967	Tom Clark	Harry Truman
1955-1971	John Harlan II	Dwight D. Eisenhower
1956-1990	William Brennan	Dwight D. Eisenhower
1957-1962	Charles Whittaker	Dwight D. Eisenhower
1958-1981	Potter Stewart	Dwight D. Eisenhower
1962-1965	Arthur Goldberg	John F. Kennedy
1962-1993	Byron White	John F. Kennedy
1965-1969	Abe Fortas	Lyndon B. Johnson
1967-1991	Thurgood Marshall	Lyndon B. Johnson

Major cases

Brown v. Board of Education: Details
Author: Earl Warren Vote Count: 9-0 Majority Justices: Black, Reed, Frankfurter, Douglas, Jackson, Burton, Clark, Minton

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

In a continuation of the trial heard by The Vinson Court, the court decided whether the separate but equal doctrine was constitutional. When Oliver Brown, an Black man, tried to enroll his daughter in a white school in Kansas, he was denied. The Warren Court unanimously decided that it was unconstitutional to provide separate facilities for educating Black people.^[2]^[3]

Mapp v. Ohio: Details
Author: Tom C. Clark Majority Justices: Warren and Brennan Concurring Justices: Black, Douglas, Stewart Dissenting Justices: Frankfurter, Harlan, Whittaker

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

When police illegally searched Dollree Mapp's house for a fugitive, they found what was classified as obscene materials. On June 19, 1961, the Supreme Court determined, in a 6-3 decision, that the illegal search and seizure violated Mapp's Fourth Amendment rights. Anything obtained during that search could not count for evidence in court.^[4]

Engel v. Vitale: Details
Author: Hugo L. Black Vote Count: 6-1 Majority Justices: Clark, Harlan, Brennan, Warren Concurring Justice: Douglas Dissenting Justice: Stewart

Prayer at a public institution is unconstitutional (1962)

When the New York State Board of Regents authorized a voluntary prayer recitation at the start of the school day, the question of whether or not it violated the First Amendment was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 25, 1962, the Court determined that it was unconstitutional and constituted officially endorsing a religion.^[5]

Gideon v. Wainwright: Details
Author: Hugo L. Black Vote Count: 9-0 Majority Justices: Warren, Douglas, Clark, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart, White, Goldberg

Citizens have a right to counsel (1963)

When Clarence Earl Gideon was caught breaking into a Florida pool house in order to commit a misdemeanor crime, he was arrested. When he appeared in court, he asked that counsel be provided for him. However, Florida State law required that counsel only be provided to an "indigent defendant in capital cases." Gideon represented himself and lost. He was sentenced to five years in prison. In prison, he filed a habeas corpus petition in the Florida Supreme Court. On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the court found in favor of Gideon, saying that the Constitution provided that everyone should have counsel available, in both state and federal courts.^[6]

Reynolds v. Sims: Details
Author: Earl Warren Vote Count: 8-1 Majority Justices: Black, Douglas, Clark, Brennan, Stewart, White, Goldberg Dissenting Justice: Harlan

Equal representation for all citizens (1964)

The Alabama Constitution apportioned at least one representative and as many senatorial districts as there were senators. In 1961, Sims and other voters challenged this setup. The Court ruled in favor of Sims because the Constitution's equal protection clause stated citizens were entitled to "no less than substantially equal state legislative representation for all citizens...." Furthermore, states should attempt to establish districts of nearly equal population.^[7]

Miranda v. Arizona: Details
Author: Earl Warren Vote Count: 5-4 Majority Justices: Black, Douglas, Brennan, Fortas Dissenting Justices: Clark, Harlan, Stewart, White

Citizens must be informed of their rights (1966)

This case grouped together Vignera v. New York, Westover v. United States and California v. Stewart. In each of the cases, defendants were held in custody and questioned without being told of their right to counsel. In two of the cases, the defendants signed agreements. SCOTUS determined that it was unconstitutional to not make the defendants aware of their rights. The decision outlined the process of arrest, interrogation, and notification of rights for law enforcement officials.^[8]

Terry v. Ohio: Details
Author: Earl Warren Vote Count: 8-1 Majority Justices: Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Fortas Concurring Justices: Harlan, Black, White Dissenting Justice: Douglas

Reasonable search and seizure permissible (1968)

Terry and two other men were stopped and searched by plainclothes police after the police observed the men conducting what they believed to be a reconnoiter for the purpose of robbery. The police found weapons on two of the men. Terry was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. On appeal, SCOTUS concluded that the search and seizure were reasonable under the Fourth Amendment because the officers acted on deductive reasoning and because the searches were limited to protect officer safety during the investigation.^[9]

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.^[10]

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.^[11]

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess.^[12]^[13] Breyer assumed senior status on June 30, 2022.^[14] Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to fill the vacancy by the Senate in a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022.^[15] 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.^[11]

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