Are there any Catholic Supreme Court Justices?

There have been many Catholic justices who have served on the Supreme Court throughout its history, and as of 2021, there were three Catholic justices on the Court: Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Samuel Alito.

There have been several other Catholic justices who have served on the Supreme Court of the United States. Some notable examples include:

• Roger B. Taney, who served as Chief Justice from 1836 to 1864 and is best known for his ruling in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, which held that African Americans were not citizens and did not have the right to sue in federal court.

• James F. Byrnes, who served as an Associate Justice from 1941 to 1942 and later served as the Governor of South Carolina and as the Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman.

• William J. Brennan Jr., who served as an Associate Justice from 1956 to 1990 and was known for his strong support for civil rights and civil liberties.

• Antonin Scalia, who served as an Associate Justice from 1986 to 2016 and was known for his conservative legal views and his originalist interpretation of the Constitution.

• Clarence Thomas, who has been an Associate Justice since 1991 and is known for his conservative legal views and his strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution.

What does the Catholic Church teach about the role of Judges?

The Catholic Church teaches that judges play an important role in society by upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is served. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, judges have a duty to act with integrity, impartiality, and fairness, and they should strive to ensure that justice is administered equally to all people.

Here is what the Catechism says about judges:

“Those who exercise authority should do so as a service. ‘Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.’ (Matthew 20:26) The exercise of authority is measured morally in terms of its divine origin, its reasonable nature and its specific object. No one can command or establish what is contrary to the dignity of persons and the natural law” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2240).

“The Christian faithful, especially ministers and those dedicated to the service of the faithful, have the right to a Christian education that is in keeping with their vocation. They are entitled to receive an education that respects their human dignity, that forms them in the religious, moral, and cultural values of the Gospel, and that prepares them to carry out their role in the Church and in the world” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2232).

According to the Catechism, judges should seek to uphold the values of the Gospel and to serve the common good by ensuring that justice is served.

What have papal writings said about Judges?

Papal writings have addressed the role of judges in various contexts and have emphasized the importance of fairness, impartiality, and justice in the judicial process.

For example, in his encyclical letter “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth), Pope John XXIII wrote: “The administration of justice must be guided by the principles of objectivity and impartiality. This is a fundamental requirement if the common good is to be served and the rights of all are to be safeguarded. It is the inalienable right of every person to have his cause judged by competent, honest and impartial judges, who are as independent as possible of all economic or political pressures.”

In his encyclical letter “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life), Pope John Paul II wrote: “A just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation. Modern society has the means of protecting itself without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made… for the creation of a special section of the penal system which offers the possibility of rehabilitation to people condemned to imprisonment, helping them to re-enter society as productive individuals.”

These and other papal writings demonstrate the Church’s belief that judges have a responsibility to ensure that justice is served in a fair and impartial manner, and that they should seek to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into society whenever possible.