Which U.S. Supreme Court justice was previously a governor of California?

The U.S. Supreme Court justice who was previously governor of California was Earl Warren.

Warren served as California’s 30th governor from 1943 to 1953. President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated him as chief justice in 1953, making him the 14th person to hold that position. He remained on the Court until 1969.

The Warren Court became associated with major constitutional decisions involving racial equality, voting representation, criminal procedure, and civil rights. Warren wrote or helped lead the Court in landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and Loving v. Virginia.

The wording can cause confusion because Warren was chief justice rather than merely an associate justice. He was also California’s attorney general before becoming governor, and he remains the only California governor elected to three consecutive terms.