Justice Thomas Moves Into Second

Clarence Thomas assumed office as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on October 23, 1991. Today, being May 7, 2026, Justice Thomas has now been on the bench for 12,615 days, making him the second longest-serving Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. This is no small feat, for there have been 104 justices, beginning with the first five taking office on September 26, 1789. If Justice Thomas remains on the Court until at least May 20, 2028, he will overtake former Justice William O. Douglas, who served for 36 years and 209 days (April 17, 1939 through November 12, 1975) as the longest-serving Justice in history. To that effect, it is worth noting that Justice Thomas turns 78 on June 23 and would be 79 (a few weeks shy of 80) on May 20, 2028. His pursuit of history is aided by the fact that he was just 42 years of age when he first took the bench. I tip my hat to the honorable Justice Thomas for his 34 years (and counting) of service on America’s highest Court. You can reply to this article from your own site by sending a Webmention.