Why It Matters

A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says sitting Supreme Court justices have become far less visible on Capitol Hill, with only four current justices ever appearing before Congress and no Senate testimony from a sitting justice between 2011 and July 14, 2026. The report says that changed on Tuesday, when Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testified on the court’s fiscal 2027 budget request.

The Big Picture

CRS identified 95 committee or subcommittee hearings from January 1, 1960, through July 15, 2026, that included at least one sitting justice, and those hearings produced 179 total appearances. Of those, 122 were in the House and 57 were in the Senate, and 65 of the hearings were held by House panels while 30 were held by Senate panels.

The report says justices appeared at hearings in 56 of the 67 years covered, including 52 straight years from 1960 through 2011. It also says the Senate gap was especially pronounced, with 26 of the 30 Senate hearings featuring a sitting justice taking place before 2000.

CRS said 165 of the 179 appearances, or 92 percent, came during appropriations hearings tied to the court’s annual budget request. The report says those hearings have given lawmakers a chance to question justices on topics including the Code of Judicial Conduct, workplace misconduct, and the confirmation process for federal judges.

The Bottom Line

Among current justices, Clarence Thomas has appeared 13 times, Samuel Alito twice, Elena Kagan three times, and Amy Coney Barrett twice, according to CRS. The report says Byron White made the most total appearances with 24, followed by Anthony Kennedy with 23 and Sandra Day O’Connor with 21. The latest testimony breaks a long quiet stretch, but CRS says it fits a narrow pattern rather than a broad revival. For now, the court is still showing up mainly when Congress is setting its budget, not when lawmakers want broader answers about the institution.

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