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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000171

First Jewish Justice of the United States Supreme Court

Record holder

Louis D. BrandeisPerson

Record value

June 5, 1916

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., United StatesAchievement date: 5 June 1916Current record

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Portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis.

Louis D. Brandeis, circa 1916.Harris & Ewing / Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-06024Wikimedia CommonsPublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest person recognized as Jewish who took the judicial oath and served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of Supreme Court membership combined with explicit Supreme Court identification of the first Jewish Justice.

Record story

Louis D. Brandeis took the judicial oath on 5 June 1916 and became the first Jewish Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The appointment, made in Washington, D.C., followed a lengthy confirmation process. This achievement marks the earliest instance of a person recognized as Jewish serving on the highest court in the United States. His service as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court continued from his appointment in 1916 until 1939.

The basis for this record is established by official institutional sources. The Supreme Court of the United States explicitly identifies Louis D. Brandeis as its first Jewish Justice in its public information. This is corroborated by a chronological review of the court's historical roster, which contains no earlier Jewish Justice. Federal Judicial Center records independently confirm that Brandeis took his oath on 5 June 1916, beginning his federal judicial service on that date.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Supreme Court and Federal Judicial Center records establish Brandeis's oath date of 5 June 1916 and his service as an Associate Justice.

Superiority evidence

The Supreme Court's official FAQ explicitly identifies Louis D. Brandeis as the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice; the official historical roster contains no earlier Jewish Justice.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Louis Brandeis and Jewish Leadership — Brandeis University

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Brandeis, Louis Dembitz — Federal Judicial Center
  • Louis Brandeis portrait, circa 1916 — Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Frequently Asked Questions on Justices — Supreme Court of the United States

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Frequently Asked Questions on Justices

    Official recordSupreme Court of the United States

    What this proves: Explicitly identifies Associate Justice Louis D. Brandeis as the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice.

  • Brandeis, Louis Dembitz

    Official recordFederal Judicial Center

    What this proves: Confirms Brandeis's Supreme Court oath on 5 June 1916 and federal judicial service.

  • Louis Brandeis and Jewish Leadership

    Independent publicationBrandeis University

    What this proves: Documents Brandeis's Jewish identity and his leadership of American Zionist affairs before joining the Court.

  • Louis Brandeis portrait, circa 1916

    Reference databaseLibrary of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Provides the approved archival portrait and its Library of Congress provenance/no-known-restrictions rights path.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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