Could Supreme Court Be Majority Immigrant?

Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen, born in 1965 in Viet Nam

Is it possible to imagine a Supreme Court composed of a majority of immigrant judges by the year 2024? Yes, even if it’s improbable.

Let’s begin with a key fact: The Court has already had six foreign-born justices: one from Scotland (James Wilson, 1789-1798); two from England (James Iredell, 1790-1799 and George Sutherland, 1922-1939);  one from Ireland (William Paterson, 1793-1806); one from Turkey (David Brewer, born to missionaries in Turkey, 1889-1910); and one from Austria (Felix Frankfurter,  1939-1962). 
The Constitution says nothing about citizenship for federal judges.

Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan, born in 1967 in Chandigarh, India is already seated on the most important U.S. appeals court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by President Obama, he was confirmed by a 97-0 vote. He has argued 25 cases before the high court, an unusually high number.

Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen, born in 1965 in Viet Nam, is seated on the powerful United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The daughter of a South Vietnamese army major who had worked closely with U.S. intelligence officials, she lived in a tent on Camp Pendleton for months after her family arrived from Viet Nam. The Senate confirmed Nguyen to the Ninth Circuit in a 91-3 vote on May 7, 2012.

Luis Felipe Restrepo, born in 1959 in Medellin, Columbia, is seated on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was sworn in as a United States citizen on September 7, 1993. On January 11, 2016, the Senate voted to approve his nomination, 82-6.

Denny Chin, born in 1954 in Hong Kong, came to the U.S. in 1956. On October 6, 2009, President Obama nominated Chin to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The Senate confirmed his nomination by a 98–0 vote on April 22, 2010. Judge Chin presided over the criminal trial of Bernie Madoff. He is remembered for concluding that Madoff's crimes were "extraordinary evil" and wanted the sentence to have a strong deterrent effect.

Marina Garcia Marmolejo, born in 1971 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, is a naturalized U.S. citizen. She is currently a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas. Democrats from the Texas House delegation and Republican Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson agreed to recommend Marmolejo for a Laredo vacancy on the Southern District of Texas.