Four chief justices spanned nearly six decades on court

Cotter’s Corner

By Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is vice president, general counsel and secretary of Fidelity Life Association and an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School, where he teaches SCOTUS Judicial Biographies. He is also president of The Chicago Bar Association. The article is Cotter’s opinion and not to be attributed to Fidelity Life, the CBA or John Marshall.

Posted January 27, 2015 2:28 PM

Chief Justices John Marshall and Roger Brooke Taney were at the helm 63 years back-to-back, almost one-third of the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. The next four chief justices would span a period of 57 years. Several decisions during their tenures were notable, including Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896.The sixth chief When chief justice Taney died in October 1864, President Abraham Lincoln followed through on his mentioning of Salmon Portland Chase as a potential Supreme Court justice. Chase became a member of the bar …

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