Question
Date and place of birth Family background Education Occupation at the time of the Supreme Court appointment Date of Supreme Court appointment Length of time served as a Supreme Court justice. Achievements or distinctions ( Why is this person well-known?) Service in Public Office at the State and/ or National levels before and after the Supreme Court appointment Other interesting or remarkable information about each Supreme Court justice. answer these questions about Clarence Thomas, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, and Sandra Day O’Connor.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Here's a summary of the requested information for each of the Supreme Court justices: Clarence Thomas, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, and Sandra Day O’Connor.
### Clarence Thomas
- **Date and Place of Birth:** June 23, 1948, in Pin Point, Georgia, USA.
- **Family Background:** Thomas was raised in a poor family; his father abandoned them when he was young, and he was raised by his mother and grandfather.
- **Education:** He attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 1971, and later graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** He was serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit at the time of his appointment.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court on October 23, 1991.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** As of 2023, he has served for over 31 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** Known for his originalist views on the Constitution, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Supreme Court and has had a significant influence on conservative jurisprudence.
- **Service in Public Office:** Prior to his Supreme Court appointment, he served as the Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 1982 to 1990.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Thomas is known for his relatively sparse participation in oral arguments and is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court.
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### Ketanji Brown Jackson
- **Date and Place of Birth:** September 14, 1970, in Washington, D.C., USA.
- **Family Background:** Jackson comes from a family with a history in public service; her father was a retired police officer and her mother a retired school principal.
- **Education:** She graduated from Harvard University in 1992 and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1996.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** She was serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Jackson was confirmed and appointed to the Supreme Court on June 30, 2021.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** As of 2023, she has served a little over 2 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** Jackson is the first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court and is noted for her judicial record emphasizing civil rights, criminal justice reform, and equity.
- **Service in Public Office:** Before her appointment, she served as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia and held various positions in public service, including vice chair on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Jackson is known for her meticulous approach to court opinions and her ascent to the high court serves as a significant milestone in U.S. history.
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### Thurgood Marshall
- **Date and Place of Birth:** July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- **Family Background:** Marshall was born into an African American family; his father was a railroad porter and his mother a teacher.
- **Education:** He graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1930 and received his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1933.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** He was serving as the Solicitor General of the United States prior to his appointment.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 2, 1967.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** He served on the Court until he retired on October 1, 1991, totaling 24 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** The first African American Supreme Court Justice, Marshall is best known for his advocacy for civil rights and his role in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
- **Service in Public Office:** Before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, he was also a prominent civil rights attorney and the first African American appointed as the Solicitor General.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Marshall was known for his unwavering commitment to social justice and equality, and his legacy continues to impact civil rights law.
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### Sandra Day O’Connor
- **Date and Place of Birth:** March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, USA.
- **Family Background:** O’Connor was raised on a cattle ranch in Arizona; her family was involved in agriculture and ranching.
- **Education:** She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics in 1950 and earned her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1952.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** She was a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court on September 25, 1981.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** She served until her retirement on January 31, 2006, for a total of nearly 25 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and played a pivotal role in many important decisions, often serving as a swing vote in crucial cases.
- **Service in Public Office:** O’Connor served as a member of the Arizona State Senate and was the first female Majority Leader in the Arizona Senate.
- **Other Interesting Information:** O’Connor has been active in promoting civics education and public engagement in democracy after her retirement from the Court.
Each of these justices has made significant contributions to the judiciary and society, both during and after their time on the Supreme Court.
### Clarence Thomas
- **Date and Place of Birth:** June 23, 1948, in Pin Point, Georgia, USA.
- **Family Background:** Thomas was raised in a poor family; his father abandoned them when he was young, and he was raised by his mother and grandfather.
- **Education:** He attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 1971, and later graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** He was serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit at the time of his appointment.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court on October 23, 1991.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** As of 2023, he has served for over 31 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** Known for his originalist views on the Constitution, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Supreme Court and has had a significant influence on conservative jurisprudence.
- **Service in Public Office:** Prior to his Supreme Court appointment, he served as the Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 1982 to 1990.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Thomas is known for his relatively sparse participation in oral arguments and is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court.
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### Ketanji Brown Jackson
- **Date and Place of Birth:** September 14, 1970, in Washington, D.C., USA.
- **Family Background:** Jackson comes from a family with a history in public service; her father was a retired police officer and her mother a retired school principal.
- **Education:** She graduated from Harvard University in 1992 and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1996.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** She was serving as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Jackson was confirmed and appointed to the Supreme Court on June 30, 2021.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** As of 2023, she has served a little over 2 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** Jackson is the first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court and is noted for her judicial record emphasizing civil rights, criminal justice reform, and equity.
- **Service in Public Office:** Before her appointment, she served as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia and held various positions in public service, including vice chair on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Jackson is known for her meticulous approach to court opinions and her ascent to the high court serves as a significant milestone in U.S. history.
---
### Thurgood Marshall
- **Date and Place of Birth:** July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- **Family Background:** Marshall was born into an African American family; his father was a railroad porter and his mother a teacher.
- **Education:** He graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1930 and received his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1933.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** He was serving as the Solicitor General of the United States prior to his appointment.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court on August 2, 1967.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** He served on the Court until he retired on October 1, 1991, totaling 24 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** The first African American Supreme Court Justice, Marshall is best known for his advocacy for civil rights and his role in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
- **Service in Public Office:** Before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, he was also a prominent civil rights attorney and the first African American appointed as the Solicitor General.
- **Other Interesting Information:** Marshall was known for his unwavering commitment to social justice and equality, and his legacy continues to impact civil rights law.
---
### Sandra Day O’Connor
- **Date and Place of Birth:** March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, USA.
- **Family Background:** O’Connor was raised on a cattle ranch in Arizona; her family was involved in agriculture and ranching.
- **Education:** She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics in 1950 and earned her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1952.
- **Occupation at the Time of Supreme Court Appointment:** She was a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals.
- **Date of Supreme Court Appointment:** O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court on September 25, 1981.
- **Length of Time Served as a Supreme Court Justice:** She served until her retirement on January 31, 2006, for a total of nearly 25 years.
- **Achievements or Distinctions:** She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and played a pivotal role in many important decisions, often serving as a swing vote in crucial cases.
- **Service in Public Office:** O’Connor served as a member of the Arizona State Senate and was the first female Majority Leader in the Arizona Senate.
- **Other Interesting Information:** O’Connor has been active in promoting civics education and public engagement in democracy after her retirement from the Court.
Each of these justices has made significant contributions to the judiciary and society, both during and after their time on the Supreme Court.