General Information
-The Supreme Court has 9 justices.
-1 chief justice and 8 associate justices
-Justices are nominated by the President when a current justice retires.
-Justices hold a lifetime position, unless they are impeached, which has never happened.
-Courts rely on other units of governement to enforce their decisions.
The Process of Judicial Selection
-The selection of a Supreme Court judge may be a President's most important legacy.
-The President nominates a justice, and the Senate Judiciary Committee probes the nominees. After this process, the Senate votes on the acceptance or declination of the President's nominee. In recent years, 20% of nominees have been rejected.
-Supreme Court judges are chosen based on political philosophy, chances of being approved, age, race, religion, etc. The President wants to nominate a justice who share's his/her same beliefs and values.
How the Supreme Court Works
-The Supreme court gets to decide which cases they will hear. Only 4 of the 9 judges must agree to hear a case. The Court hears less than 1% of all cases submitted.
-Cases are picked based on 3 factors: if lower
courts had conflicting opinions, if a ruling
conflicts with a previous Supreme Court ruling,
or if the issue has historical significance.
-When a case is selected, briefs are submitted by both sides to the justices. There is then an oral arguement, where each side gets exactly one hour to present their side.
-The justices then go to conference, where they discuss the case and vote.
-After a decision is reached, opinion writing is assigned. Opinions of the majority and minority vote are drafted by a member of each side, defending their opinion.
-Decisions are then announced.
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is arguably the most powerful group of induviduals in the country, and the ultimate "check" on the other branches of government. The Supreme Court hears cases to resolve conflicts among states, interpret national laws and the Constitution, and maintain national supremacy in the law. The Court's decisions are final, and can only be overruled by the Supreme Court itself.