UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AND BIRTH ORDER

Birth order has been hypothesized to affect (a) accession into elite political positions and (b) better caliber performance once in office. This research note reports data on all members of the United States Supreme Court in terms of their birth order and performance once in office. It does appear that first borns are more apt to serve on the Court, although this may be an artifact of the advantages in terms of education for first borns in the American historical context. However, there is no sound evidence from the data reported upon here which would indicate that first born justices are more able than their later born peers. Thus, some doubt is raised about the power claimed for birth order on political achievement.