If you’re wondering how old is Justice Roberts, you aren’t alone. It's one of those things people start Googling every time a major Supreme Court decision drops or a new term begins. John Glover Roberts Jr. was born on January 27, 1955. As of early 2026, that makes him 71 years old.
He's been the Chief Justice for over two decades now. Think about that for a second. When he was sworn in back in 2005, the world looked completely different. The Razr flip phone was the height of fashion. YouTube had only been alive for a few months. George W. Bush was still in his first year of his second term.
Roberts has outlasted multiple presidents and seen the court shift from a relatively balanced body to a conservative powerhouse. He’s no longer the "young guy" on the bench, even though he was only 50 when he took the center seat. At the time, he was the youngest Chief Justice in a hundred years. Now, he's basically the institutional anchor of the whole operation.
How Old Is Justice Roberts Compared to the Rest of the Bench?
Age on the Supreme Court is a funny thing. It’s the only job in America where being 71 makes you feel like you’re just hitting your middle-aged stride. If you look at the current lineup, Roberts is actually right in the middle of the pack.
He isn't the oldest. Not by a long shot. That title belongs to Justice Clarence Thomas, who was born in 1948, followed by Justice Samuel Alito, born in 1950. Compared to them, Roberts is still technically part of the younger "senior" tier.
But then you look at the newer additions. Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch are significantly younger, having been born in the late 60s and early 70s. It’s a wild spread. You have people who remember the height of the Cold War sitting next to people who were barely out of law school when the 9/11 attacks happened.
Honestly, the Chief Justice’s age matters because of the "life tenure" rule. There’s no mandatory retirement age for these folks. They stay until they decide they’re done, or until they can’t physically do the work anymore. Because Roberts is "only" 71, many legal experts expect he could easily serve another ten or even fifteen years if he stays healthy.
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The Indiana Kid Who Became Chief
To really get why people care about how old is Justice Roberts, you have to look at how fast he climbed the ladder. He wasn't some lifelong academic. He was a guy from Buffalo who grew up in Long Beach, Indiana.
He worked in steel mills during his summers to help pay for college. That’s a detail people often forget. He wasn't born into a legal dynasty. He was a history major at Harvard who eventually realized that law was where the real action was.
His rise was meteoric. He clerked for the legendary Henry Friendly and then for William Rehnquist—the very man he would eventually replace as Chief Justice. By the time he was in his late 40s, he was widely considered the best appellate lawyer in Washington. He argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court before he even joined it.
When Rehnquist died in 2005, Bush didn't hesitate. Roberts was originally nominated to fill Sandra Day O’Connor’s seat, but the White House quickly pivoted to put him in the top spot. It was a bold move, putting a 50-year-old in charge of a branch of government for the next few decades.
Longevity and the "Roberts Court" Legacy
The term "Roberts Court" has been around for twenty years now, but its meaning has shifted. In the early days, he was the young, brilliant institutionalist trying to find narrow consensus. He famously said his job was just to "call balls and strikes."
But as he’s aged, the game has changed. The court has moved significantly to his right. There are times now where the "conservative" Chief Justice actually finds himself in the minority or writing "moderate" concurrences because the rest of the conservative bloc wants to go much further, much faster.
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You can see this in how he handled the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) versus how the court handled Dobbs (overturning Roe v. Wade). Roberts often prefers small, incremental steps. He likes the court to look like a stable, non-political body.
But he's just one vote. Even at 71, with all that seniority, he can’t always control the direction of the wind.
Health and the Future of the Seat
When people ask how old is Justice Roberts, there’s usually a subtext: When will there be a vacancy? Roberts has had a few health scares over the years, specifically involving seizures. He fell at a country club in 2007 and had another incident in 2020. Both were described as "unprovoked" seizures, and doctors eventually gave him a clean bill of health.
Since then, he’s appeared to be in great shape. He’s often seen walking or moving briskly around the court. He’s a high-energy guy who takes the dignity of the office very seriously.
If he follows the path of his predecessors, he could stay on the bench well into his 80s. Justice John Paul Stevens served until he was 90. Ruth Bader Ginsburg served until she was 87. If Roberts stays until he's 85, he would be the Chief Justice until 2040. That is a staggering amount of time for one person to hold that much power.
Why the Number 71 Matters Right Now
In the current political climate, 71 is the new 50. We have presidential candidates in their late 70s and 80s. We have senators who have been in office since the Nixon administration.
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In that context, Roberts is actually in his prime. He has the experience of twenty years of leadership but isn't yet at the age where most people start raising serious questions about cognitive decline.
For the next few years, he remains the most important man in the American judiciary. Whether he's navigating a divided country or trying to keep his own court from splintering, his age gives him a perspective that the younger justices just don't have yet. He remembers the "old" Washington.
What You Should Watch For
If you’re following the court, don’t just look at the rulings. Look at the authorship.
As Chief Justice, Roberts gets to decide who writes the opinion if he’s in the majority. It’s his biggest "soft power" tool. Even if he’s 71, he’s using that power to shape how history remembers this era of law.
If you want to keep tabs on his influence, pay attention to:
- Emergency Docket rulings: Often called the "shadow docket," this is where the Chief's influence on the court's public image is most visible.
- The Annual Year-End Report: Roberts writes this every December. It’s usually where he signals his concerns about judicial independence and technology.
- Oral Argument energy: Watch how he interacts with the younger justices. He’s increasingly taking on the role of the "dean" of the court.
The reality is that John Roberts isn't going anywhere soon. He’s a man who views his role as a multi-decade marathon, not a sprint. Knowing he's 71 helps you realize he's probably in the "third quarter" of his career, with some of his most defining moments still ahead of him.
To stay informed, you can track the current Supreme Court term through the official Supreme Court website or follow legal analysts who break down the specific voting blocs. Keeping an eye on the "middle" of the court—where Roberts often sits—is the best way to predict where American law is headed next.