Supreme Court: Filling a Vacancy Can Take Months

Fourteen people have been nominated as Supreme Court justices since 1975, the year that John Paul Stevens, the longest-serving member of the current court, was nominated. The chart below shows how long the process took for each of those 13 nominees. Names listed in bold are the court's current justices, while gray signifies a retired justice. All others listed (except Sotomayor) either withdrew or were not confirmed. Mouse over the bars for detailed information, or click on the table icon for totals and notes on each nominee.