Apparently the last United States Supreme Court Justice without a law qualification was Robert H. Jackson—although he passed the bar exam without official training and was a prominent practicing lawyer. I haven’t found the last time someone was appointed to that role without passing the bar but research so far does seem to suggest it is an entirely political position, without qualifications required.
Apparently the last United States Supreme Court Justice without a law qualification was Robert H. Jackson—although he passed the bar exam without official training and was a prominent practicing lawyer. I haven’t found the last time someone was appointed to that role without passing the bar but research so far does seem to suggest it is an entirely political position, without qualifications required.
They’ve all been lawyers, it’s just not an official requirement.
Presumably for the same reason there’s technically no official requirement that they be human, either.
That is, those with the power to appoint such judges would look like tools if they voted in non-lawyers or non-humans so they will not do either.
(It occurs to me there is a mutual exclusion joke in there somewhere.)