U.S. Supreme Court / Appointed 1975 / Served to 2010
Portrait of John Paul Stevens

John Paul Stevens

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975 and confirmed by the Senate 980, John Paul Stevens was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He earned a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) in 1947. He previously served on the Seventh Circuit.Sources — FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, December 17, 1975

Appointed by
Gerald Ford, 1975
Confirmed
98–0
Education
University of Chicago 1941 · Northwestern Law (now Pritzker School of Law) 1947
Succeeded by
Elena Kagan
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1970Seventh CircuitNixon (R)voice
1975Supreme Court · succeeded William Orville DouglasFord (R)98–0

A per-senator roll-call isn’t available for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many earlier justices were confirmed by voice vote.

Education
Sources

34 years on the Court. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).