"the Supremes"

[Paul McFedries]

Here's one:

That Supreme Court justices are no more hallowed and haloed than the rest of
us should come as a surprise to no one except perhaps these justices
themselves. They are equally human in their contradictory conclusions,
meanness, pettiness and occasional greatness. Among the current saintless
Supremes, Burger, Whizzer White and Rehnquist weigh the least. Forbes, March
3, 1980

Here's an earlier one that refers to a state Supreme Court:

The judge disparagingly refers to the West Virginia Supreme Court, which
frequently overturns his rulings, as "the supremes." The Washington Post,
November 2, 1979

Paul
http://www.logophilia.com/

> 1.  I would have thought "the Supremes" meaning the US Supreme Court or
the
> Justices thereof was an artifact of the post-campaign campaign after the
last
> Presidential election.  However, I just discovered the same usage in 1994
in,
> of all places, Analog Science Fiction magazine.  Does anyone have an
earlier
> cite?