Here are the current justices, who will be deciding the cases on this term's docket, in order of seniority. Click on a justice's name for a biography from the Oyez Oyez Oyez Web site.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, born Oct. 1, 1924; appointed associate justice by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971; elevated to chief justice by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

John Paul Stevens, born April 20, 1920; appointed by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975.

Sandra Day O'Connor, born March 26, 1930; appointed by Reagan in 1981.

Antonin Scalia, born March 11, 1936; appointed by Reagan in 1986.

Anthony M. Kennedy, born July 23, 1936; appointed by Reagan in 1988.

David Souter, born Sept. 17, 1939; appointed by President George Bush in 1990.

Clarence Thomas, born June 23, 1948; appointed by Bush in 1991.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, born March 15, 1933; appointed by President Clinton in 1993.

Stephen G. Breyer, born Aug. 15, 1938; appointed by Clinton in 1994.