On Sept. 26, 1789, all six of George Washington's nominations for Supreme Court justices were confirmed by the United States Senate, which marked the beginning of the judicial branch of the newly implemented federal government.
While the judicial branch is supposed to be the least democratic and least political of the branches of government, an element of democracy still influences the courts and controversy has followed the judiciary since its founding in 1789.
In honor of divisive politics, a feature of the American system, here are the 10 most divisive Supreme Court justices in American history:
10. Louis Brandeis (1916-39). The first Jew to sit on the Supreme Court, Brandeis courted controversy due not only to his ethnic heritage (anti-Semitism in the United States was rife during his lifetime), but also because of his activism in the name of progressive causes.
