Do Supreme Court Justices vote?

[Alabama_Indy10]

Do Supreme Court Justices vote in elections? If so, who did the current justices vote for?

[libertpaulian]

The progressives obviously voted for Clinton. 

Alito and Thomas voted for Trump.

Gorsuch I'm not sure about.

I could see Roberts and Kennedy possibly having voted Clinton out of respect for preserving institutions and the dignity of the office of President.

[°Leprechaun]

Yes, they are obviously very political. Don't forget Gore v Bush.

Also don't forget Kennedy who wanted a conservative to replace him.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I only know of John Marshall Harlan II no longer voting in presidential elections upon assuming his seat as a matter of principle , but that was a symbolic, voluntary gesture. No one could have prevented him nor any justice from registering/voting if they wants to.

[KingSweden]

Not on SCOTUS (yet) but Kavanaugh claimed he stopped voting, period, after he was elevated to the DC Corcuit. Whether you believe this claim is up to you.

[IndustrialJustice]

Gorsuch I'm not sure about.

lol

I could see Roberts and Kennedy possibly having voted Clinton out of respect for preserving institutions and the dignity of the office of President.

lol

[UncleSam]

The liberals obviously voted Clinton, Alito and Thomas voted Trump. Kennedy I think secretly voted for Trump, same with Gorsuch. I think Roberts probably abstained - it just seems like the sort of thing he would do. If he did vote it was for Trump.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We certainly know how they voted in 2000.

[Skill and Chance]

The 4 Dem appointees pretty clearly supported Clinton, and Thomas, Alito, and Kennedy (given his personal connections to the family and that he retired this year) pretty clearly supported Trump.  Roberts probably wrote someone in or left the presidential race blank, and Gorsuch was either Trump or write-in/blank, perhaps 50/50 odds either way.

Kavanaugh apparently hasn't voted since he became a judge, so if anything, it appears SCOTUS is losing a Trump voter!

[J. J.]

Not on SCOTUS (yet) but Kavanaugh claimed he stopped voting, period, after he was elevated to the DC Corcuit. Whether you believe this claim is up to you.

I am not certain of his residence, but in some states records of who voted are public. 

[Del Tachi]

Not on SCOTUS (yet) but Kavanaugh claimed he stopped voting, period, after he was elevated to the DC Corcuit. Whether you believe this claim is up to you.

I am not certain of his residence, but in some states records of who voted are public. 

Yeah I was about to say, shouldn't this be pretty easy to figure out?

I think they probably don't vote.

[Spark]

We certainly know how they voted in 2000.

[brucejoel99]

Yes, they can. After all, it's supposed to be presumed that judges always decide cases based on the law & precedent, & not on personal biases (though they obviously don't participate in the political process itself by publicizing their choice of candidate, etc.). A justice doesn't lose their basic right to vote in any local, state, or national election simply b/c they've been appointed to the Court.

Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, & Kagan voted for Clinton (as did all the retired justices at the time of the election: Stevens, O'Connor (b/c woman + moderate centrist + likely anti-Trump), & Souter

Thomas voted for Trump.

I legitimately can't guess as to whom Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch voted for, esp. the former 2. I'm tilting toward believing that Gorsuch voted for Trump only b/c of the self-incentive attached to Trump in that his own name was already published to Trump's Supreme Court list by Election Day, but I don't know. The way I see it, many sane members of the Republican political establishment (in the privacy of the voting booth) likely didn't bring themselves to vote for Trump (even if they publicized for political purposes their assertion that they would). But Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch, while being philosophically the same as the Republican establishment & very much a part of the judicial conservative establishment, aren't even a part of the political process, & as such never had to publicize their "intention" to vote for Trump, leading me to believe it's even less likely that these "sane conservatives" did vote for Trump.

Kavanaugh didn't vote.

Kennedy might have voted for Trump, & the familial closeness + the fact that he retired under Trump makes that more likely.

Scalia, if he had the opportunity to vote in the GOP presidential primary by absentee ballot prior to his passing, voted for Trump.

[Senator Incitatus]

Yes, they can. After all, it's supposed to be presumed that judges always decide cases based on the law & precedent, & not on personal biases (though they obviously don't participate in the political process itself by publicizing their choice of candidate, etc.). A justice doesn't lose their basic right to vote in any local, state, or national election simply b/c they've been appointed to the Court.

Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, & Kagan voted for Clinton (as did all the retired justices at the time of the election: Stevens, O'Connor (b/c woman + moderate centrist + likely anti-Trump), & Souter

Thomas voted for Trump.

I legitimately can't guess as to whom Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch voted for, esp. the former 2. I'm tilting toward believing that Gorsuch voted for Trump only b/c of the self-incentive attached to Trump in that his own name was already published to Trump's Supreme Court list by Election Day, but I don't know. The way I see it, many sane members of the Republican political establishment (in the privacy of the voting booth) likely didn't bring themselves to vote for Trump (even if they publicized for political purposes their assertion that they would). But Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch, while being philosophically the same as the Republican establishment & very much a part of the judicial conservative establishment, aren't even a part of the political process, & as such never had to publicize their "intention" to vote for Trump, leading me to believe it's even less likely that these "sane conservatives" did vote for Trump.

Kavanaugh didn't vote.

Kennedy might have voted for Trump, & the familial closeness + the fact that he retired under Trump makes that more likely.

Scalia, if he had the opportunity to vote in the GOP presidential primary by absentee ballot prior to his passing, voted for Trump.

I have a feeling Scalia voted Cruz if he voted in the primary.

[mencken]

Yes, they can. After all, it's supposed to be presumed that judges always decide cases based on the law & precedent, & not on personal biases (though they obviously don't participate in the political process itself by publicizing their choice of candidate, etc.). A justice doesn't lose their basic right to vote in any local, state, or national election simply b/c they've been appointed to the Court.

Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, & Kagan voted for Clinton (as did all the retired justices at the time of the election: Stevens, O'Connor (b/c woman + moderate centrist + likely anti-Trump), & Souter

Thomas voted for Trump.

I legitimately can't guess as to whom Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch voted for, esp. the former 2. I'm tilting toward believing that Gorsuch voted for Trump only b/c of the self-incentive attached to Trump in that his own name was already published to Trump's Supreme Court list by Election Day, but I don't know. The way I see it, many sane members of the Republican political establishment (in the privacy of the voting booth) likely didn't bring themselves to vote for Trump (even if they publicized for political purposes their assertion that they would). But Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch, while being philosophically the same as the Republican establishment & very much a part of the judicial conservative establishment, aren't even a part of the political process, & as such never had to publicize their "intention" to vote for Trump, leading me to believe it's even less likely that these "sane conservatives" did vote for Trump.

Kavanaugh didn't vote.

Kennedy might have voted for Trump, & the familial closeness + the fact that he retired under Trump makes that more likely.

Scalia, if he had the opportunity to vote in the GOP presidential primary by absentee ballot prior to his passing, voted for Trump.

I have a feeling Scalia voted Cruz if he voted in the primary.

He all but admitted to supporting Trump.

[brucejoel99]

Yes, they can. After all, it's supposed to be presumed that judges always decide cases based on the law & precedent, & not on personal biases (though they obviously don't participate in the political process itself by publicizing their choice of candidate, etc.). A justice doesn't lose their basic right to vote in any local, state, or national election simply b/c they've been appointed to the Court.

Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, & Kagan voted for Clinton (as did all the retired justices at the time of the election: Stevens, O'Connor (b/c woman + moderate centrist + likely anti-Trump), & Souter

Thomas voted for Trump.

I legitimately can't guess as to whom Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch voted for, esp. the former 2. I'm tilting toward believing that Gorsuch voted for Trump only b/c of the self-incentive attached to Trump in that his own name was already published to Trump's Supreme Court list by Election Day, but I don't know. The way I see it, many sane members of the Republican political establishment (in the privacy of the voting booth) likely didn't bring themselves to vote for Trump (even if they publicized for political purposes their assertion that they would). But Roberts, Alito, & Gorsuch, while being philosophically the same as the Republican establishment & very much a part of the judicial conservative establishment, aren't even a part of the political process, & as such never had to publicize their "intention" to vote for Trump, leading me to believe it's even less likely that these "sane conservatives" did vote for Trump.

Kavanaugh didn't vote.

Kennedy might have voted for Trump, & the familial closeness + the fact that he retired under Trump makes that more likely.

Scalia, if he had the opportunity to vote in the GOP presidential primary by absentee ballot prior to his passing, voted for Trump.

I have a feeling Scalia voted Cruz if he voted in the primary.

He all but admitted to supporting Trump.

Yeah, ^^ this ^^ was the reason I posited Trump lol

[MichaelRbn]

According to news reports, if I had better timed my DC early vote on Tuesday October 23rd, I would have run into Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.

https://dcist.com/story/18/10/25/supreme-court-justices-they-vote-ju/

[Pandaguineapig]

They can in general elections but voting in primary elections is highly frowned upon. For what it's worth a couple of them such as Kavanaugh don't vote at all

[President Phil Scott]

We certainly know how they voted in 2000.

[Fuzzy Stands With His Friend, Chairman Sanchez]

Mr. Justice John Marshall Harlan II did not vote in Presidential elections out of respect for the principle of separation of powers and maintaining political neutrality.

Byron White, despite being a rather conservative jurist, was a lifelong Kennedy Democrat.

Potter Stewart, a mainstream Republican moderate, voted for George McGovern in 1972, out of his dislike for Nixon, whom he came to despise.

I would not be surprised if Anthony Kennedy voted for Gary Johnson.

[Geoffrey Howe]

Mr. Justice John Marshall Harlan II did not vote in Presidential elections out of respect for the principle of separation of powers and maintaining political neutrality.

Byron White, despite being a rather conservative jurist, was a lifelong Kennedy Democrat.

Potter Stewart, a mainstream Republican moderate, voted for George McGovern in 1972, out of his dislike for Nixon, whom he came to despise.

I would not be surprised if Anthony Kennedy voted for Gary Johnson.

He also voted for Barry Goldwater, not wanting a Johnson landslide; it’s highly unlikely though that he actually liked Goldwater. He revealed these votes in a 1983 interview with American Heritage (not enough posts to share link).

[I’m not Stu]

Clarence Thomas voted for Trump.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yes, but some lie and claim not to

[Skill and Chance]

Mr. Justice John Marshall Harlan II did not vote in Presidential elections out of respect for the principle of separation of powers and maintaining political neutrality.

Byron White, despite being a rather conservative jurist, was a lifelong Kennedy Democrat.

Potter Stewart, a mainstream Republican moderate, voted for George McGovern in 1972, out of his dislike for Nixon, whom he came to despise.

I would not be surprised if Anthony Kennedy voted for Gary Johnson.

Kennedy voluntarily leaving in 2018 pretty much confirms he voted for Trump if he votes at all IMO.