The Supreme Court has existed for 233 years—since 1789—with nine justices serving currently and in the past, and with our lowest justice count being 6 at one point. We have only had 17 chief justices in our lifetime, yet have rewritten and recoded the documents we stand on as a country. Arguably the most fluid branch of our government, we have had clerks to Presidents of the United States serve as justices, with there being no qualifications for selection. All while justices serve a lifetime term (saving impeachment) to aid in the analysis and editing of our rights as citizens. With so much movement on the court over its 233 years of existence, one would think such a pattern would mirror itself in the court’s membership, correct? Not exactly. We’ll dive into all that in more on today’s episode, this is Coloring the Court: the KBJ effect.

Bobby Baransaka