FYI, here is what's come in to the Blog that relates to this office/rank.
   For recent questions sent in, check out Robert Hickey's Blog.
   For specific offices/ranks, check out Robert Hickey's On-Line Guide.

How to Address a Retired Associate Justice?
     Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be speaking at our annual conference. How do we list her name and title in our program?
     This is what I plan to write:
             Sandra Day O’Connor
             Associate Justice (Retired), U.S. Supreme Court
              -- Naomi Willis.

Dear Ms. Willis,
      In the program use
            The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor
            Retired Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
      1) By tradition, when on the bench they are not addressed as "The Honorable" ... but when retired they are.
      2) The Supreme Court calls itself the "Supreme Court of the United States" ... not the U.S. Supreme Court
      3) Avoid the parentheses.
      4) In conversation you can address her most formally as Madame Justice O'Connor or simply Justice O'Connor.
      I include all the forms of address for a retired justice on page 186 in my book -- letter, salutation, invitation, place cards, introductions -- if this sort of thing comes up often.
                 -- Robert Hickey

What is the Precedence Among Retired Officials?
      In the United States order of precedence, Associate Justices of the Supreme Court are explicitly ranked in order of appointment, but the ranking of retired justices doesn't seem to be specified. Will retiring Justice Stevens rank ahead of (earlier appointment) or behind (later retirement) O'Connor & Souter?.
   -- M. Woods.

Dear Mr. Woods:
     Justice Stevens will be first.
     Precedence lists around Washington do include how to order some former officials: but they don't include how to order former associate justices. When lists DO state how to rank 'formers" they all use the same approach ...
          Former Presidents of the United States by earliest assumption of office.
          Ambassadors of foreign nations by date of presentation of credentials ...
          Senators by length of service ... (which is the same as earliest assumption of office)
          Former cabinet members by seniority of assuming office
          Retired (armed service officers) by date of rank
     So standard protocol is to order 'formers' by the earliest assumption of office -- not by total length of service or most recent date of retirement:
     Stevens appointed 1975
     O'Connor appointed 1981
     Souter appointed 1990
      -- Robert Hickey

Back to directory of titles  /  See who is using Honor & Respect

For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

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Photo: Marc Goodman.