The appointment of a Supreme Court Justice is an event of major significance in ... President when selecting a nominee for the Court. ... On rare occasions, Presidents also have made Court appointments without the Senate's consent, ... national government with a vigorous administration, [who] favored
Though the first court comprised of six justices, Congress altered the number of Supreme Court seats — from a low of five to a high of 10 — six times over the years. In 1869, Congress set the number of seats to nine, where it has remained until today. As of January 2021, 115 Justices have served on the Supreme Court.
