Closest Supreme Court confirmation votes
What was the closest Supreme Court confirmation vote?
The closest Supreme Court confirmation vote by raw margin is Stanley Matthews's 24–23 in 1881; by share of the recorded roll call, Brett M. Kavanaugh's 50–48 in 2018 ranks first.
The Supreme Court confirmations that came closest to an even Senate split, ranked by the share of the recorded roll-call that voted to confirm rather than the raw margin, so a lopsided tally in a smaller historic Senate does not read as close. Voice votes with no recorded tally are excluded.
| # | Name | Detail | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett M. Kavanaugh | Trump (R), 2018 · 51% to confirm | 50–48 |
| 2 | Stanley Matthews | Garfield (R), 1881 · 51% to confirm | 24–23 |
| 3 | Clarence Thomas | G.H.W. Bush (R), 1991 · 52% to confirm | 52–48 |
| 4 | Amy Coney Barrett | Trump (R), 2020 · 52% to confirm | 52–48 |
| 5 | Ketanji Brown Jackson | Biden (D), 2022 · 53% to confirm | 53–47 |
| 6 | Nathan Clifford | Buchanan (D), 1858 · 53% to confirm | 26–23 |
| 7 | Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar | Cleveland (D), 1888 · 53% to confirm | 32–28 |
| 8 | Neil M. Gorsuch | Trump (R), 2017 · 55% to confirm | 54–45 |
| 9 | Samuel A. Alito Jr. | G.W. Bush (R), 2006 · 58% to confirm | 58–42 |
| 10 | Elena Kagan | Obama (D), 2010 · 63% to confirm | 63–37 |
| 11 | John Catron | Jackson (D), 1837 · 65% to confirm | 28–15 |
| 12 | Mahlon Pitney | Taft (R), 1912 · 66% to confirm | 50–26 |
| 13 | Roger Brooke Taney | Jackson (D), 1836 · 66% to confirm | 29–15 |
| 14 | Melville Weston Fuller | Cleveland (D), 1888 · 67% to confirm | 41–20 |
| 15 | Louis Dembitz Brandeis | Wilson (D), 1916 · 68% to confirm | 47–22 |
| 16 | Sonia Sotomayor | Obama (D), 2009 · 69% to confirm | 68–31 |
| 17 | William Hubbs Rehnquist | Nixon (R), 1971 · 72% to confirm | 68–26 |
| 18 | Philip Pendleton Barbour | Jackson (D), 1836 · 73% to confirm | 30–11 |
| 19 | Sherman Minton | Truman (D), 1949 · 75% to confirm | 48–16 |
| 20 | John Glover Roberts Jr. | G.W. Bush (R), 2005 · 78% to confirm | 78–22 |
| 21 | Hugo Lafayette Black | F.D. Roosevelt (D), 1937 · 80% to confirm | 63–16 |
| 22 | Potter Stewart | Eisenhower (R), 1959 · 80% to confirm | 70–17 |
| 23 | Peter Vivian Daniel | Van Buren (D), 1841 · 81% to confirm | 22–5 |
| 24 | David Josiah Brewer | B. Harrison (R), 1889 · 83% to confirm | 53–11 |
| 25 | William Burnham Woods | Hayes (R), 1880 · 83% to confirm | 39–8 |
Questions
- What was the closest Supreme Court confirmation vote?
- The closest Supreme Court confirmation vote by raw margin is Stanley Matthews's 24–23 in 1881; by share of the recorded roll call, Brett M. Kavanaugh's 50–48 in 2018 ranks first.
- What are the top five?
- Brett M. Kavanaugh (50–48), Stanley Matthews (24–23), Clarence Thomas (52–48), Amy Coney Barrett (52–48) and Ketanji Brown Jackson (53–47).
- How is this list ranked?
- The Supreme Court confirmations that came closest to an even Senate split, ranked by the share of the recorded roll-call that voted to confirm rather than the raw margin, so a lopsided tally in a smaller historic Senate does not read as close. Voice votes with no recorded tally are excluded.
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Computed from the FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-09-14. Verify against the primary source before relying.