Two in Three Americans Can't Name a Supreme Court Justice

Published: 20 Aug, 2012
1 min read

A new national survey by FindLaw.com found an overwhelming majority of Americans fail when asked to name even one Supreme Court Justice. This despite a busy few years of high-profile cases like health care reform and Citizens United thrusting the country's highest court into the spotlight.
According to the findings, only 1% of Americans can name all nine Justices.
Chief Justice John Roberts is the most frequently named Supreme Court justice.
The percentage of Americans who can name any U.S. Supreme Court justice are:
- John Roberts – 20%
- Antonin Scalia – 16%
- Clarence Thomas – 16%
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – 13%
- Sonia Sotomayor – 13%
- Anthony Kennedy – 10%
- Samuel Alito – 5%
- Elena Kagan – 4%
- Stephen Breyer – 3%
You Might Also Like
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read


