Ballotpedia's Bold Justice 10-5-20: Correct quiz answer

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SCOTUS trivia

Since 1962, what is the average amount of time a Supreme Court seat has been vacant (defined as the length of time between a justice’s departure date and the swearing-in of their successor)?

a) 422 days
b) 391 days
c) 88 days
d) 77 days

The correct answer: (c) 88 days. Since 1962, the average amount of time a Supreme Court seat has been vacant is 88 days (defined as the length of time between a justice’s departure date and the swearing-in of their successor). Four of these vacancies lasted for only a few hours each, with a successor being sworn in the same day the retiring justice officially left the bench.

The longest vacancy using this definition was 422 days, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The second longest vacancy since 1962 under this definition was 391 days, after Justice Abe Fortas retired on May 14, 1969, in the wake of a series of ethics scandals. Click here for more information on the historic context of U.S. Supreme court vacancies.