Pop quiz. Name all the current U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
Can you do it? If so, you are among the happy few, otherwise known as one-third of the U.S. population. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reported yesterday that a Findlaw.com survey of 1,000 U.S. adult citizens found two-thirds of the respondents couldn’t name any of the justices.
Based on the breakdown, there are a few names that have stuck in the public consciousness. Chief Justice John Roberts came out on top with 20% of those polled able to recall his name, while Stephen Breyer brought up the rear with 3%. This is a change from Findlaw.com’s 2010 survey which had Clarence Thomas as the most recalled with 19% and Roberts in second with 16%. (However, in an instance of no change, Breyer also came in last with 3% in the 2010 survey.)
So, in 2012, what’s the ranking of those justices whose names the American public can remember at crunch time?
John Roberts 20%
Antonin Scalia 16%
Clarence Thomas 16%
Ruth Bader Ginsburg 13%
Sonia Sotomayer 13%
Anthony Kennedy 10%
Samuel Alito 5%
Elena Kagan 4%
Stephen Breyer 3%