.

In took 47 years for the first Catholic Justice to sit on the US Supreme Court, then another 58 years to select the second Catholic Justice. There have been only two sitting Catholic Justices in the first 108 years, or first half of the Supreme Court’s history. Only three different times in Supreme Court history have there been two Catholic Justices sitting together. Suddenly, within the last twenty years, since September 26, 1986, five Catholic Justices are now sitting together on the Supreme Court as the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Catholic Justices ever appointed to the US Supreme Court.


The first six Catholic Justices were appointed in the first 167 years, while the seventh to eleventh of all Catholics Justices ever appointed have arrived in the past 20 years as a unit of five. (Hence Sammy ‘the fifth’ Scalito)


All eleven Catholic Justices ever appointed to the US Supreme Court:


1) Roger B. Taney, Md. 1836-1864 First Catholic Chief Justice – SC year 47

2) Edward D. White, La. Associate 1894-1910 Second Catholic Justice - SC year 105
(Second Catholic Chief Justice 1910-1921)

3) Joseph McKenna, Calif. 1898-1925 – SC year 109

4) Pierce Butler, Minn. 1923-1939 – SC year 134

5) Frank Murphy, Mich. 1940-1949 - SC year 151

[NO CATHOLIC JUSTICES from 1949-1956] SC years 151 - 158

6) William J. Brennan, Jr., N.J. 1956-1990 – SC year 167

-------------Currently seated on the Court as of January 31, 2006:

7) Antonin Scalia, D.C (1986- ) SC year 197

8) Anthony M. Kennedy, Calif. (1988- ) SC year 199

9) Clarence Thomas, D.C. (1991- ) SC year 202

10) John Roberts, D.C. (2005- ) (Third Catholic Chief Justice ever) SC year 216

11) Finally, we have Samuel Alito Jr. (2006- ) SC year 217


Today, President Bush is making his fifth State of the Union Address on the same day of Samuel Alito’s Confirmation to the US Supreme Court. Sam Alito is in his fifty-fifth year. He is the fifth Catholic Supreme Court Justice sitting at one time with a majority of 55.55%. He is also the 110th (2 x 55?) US Associate Justice, and the 11th Catholic ever appointed to sit on the Supreme Court.


Considering that there were only two appointed Catholic Justices in the first half of the Supreme Court’s history, and no Catholic Justices on the Court from 1948-1956, five Catholics out of nine Justices is quite a dramatic climb for the last twenty-year period – since the Republican Reagan and Conservative John Paul II years.


Soon President Bush will make his sixth State of the Union Address.


Will someone soon be the 6th sitting Catholic as the 111th US Associate Justice, and the twelfth Catholic ever appointed to sit on the United States Supreme Court, to make a majority of 66.66%, or a membership of two to one Catholic, or will a non-Catholic replace the Protestant Justice John Paul Stevens? Stevens will be 86 this year.



[NOTE: On October 27, 2005 (SC year 216) Harriet Miers asked the President to withdraw her nomination to the Supreme Court, and President Bush did so. See this prediction made on that day – four days before President Bush announced his new Appointee to the Supreme Court; it seems to have come true after only ninety-six days.]

nyc.indymedia.org/en/2005/10/59263.html


~ yezbok drahcir