The Make-Up of the Supreme Court

How is the Supreme Court organized & how are justices chosen?

How is the Supreme Court viewed in legal standing?

• The Supreme Court is the “court of last resort”– No more appeals– “Final” verdicts

• Cases:– Federal cases– State cases

Who sits on the Supreme Court?

• Justices:– 1 Chief Justice– 8 Associate Justices

• Other officials:– Law clerks– Researchers– Police / Guides

Justice Kagan

Justice Sotomayor

Justice Bryer Justice Alito

Justice Thomas

Justice Scalia

Chief Justice Roberts

Justice Kennedy

Justice Ginsburg

Known as the “Great Hall”; an overhead look of the main courtroom in the Supreme Court building

Closer shot of the Supreme Court’s main bench for the justices

The Supreme Court library on the fourth floor of the building

Supreme Court clerks are often young lawyers just out of law school who ranked at the top of their class

They go through a very intensive application process to get these jobs

Requirements:

• Research

• Helping w/ paperwork

On the Supreme Court’s top floor there is a basketball court nicknamed “the highest court in the land”

How is a Chief Justice chosen?

• Two (2) ways:– Nominated

specifically by the President

– Nominated by the other justices

• In both cases, Senate approval is needed

How are Associate Justices chosen?

• Process:– Candidates are nominated

by the President and /or other justices

– Prior to confirmation, the candidate will go through a “confirmation hearing”• Senate Judiciary Committee

– Confidence vote before the full Senate (majority needed)

An inside / empty shot of the Senate Judiciary Committee chamber at the US Capital Building

Senate Confirmation Hearing in progress

What is the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

• “The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority; to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls; to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction; to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party; to Controversies between two or more States; between a State and Citizens of another State; between Citizens of different States; between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects…”

What is the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

• What does all that mean?

• The Court can hear the following: – Constitution questions / merit (most of cases)– Treaties– Ambassadors, Officials, etc.– Controversies between States– Controversies between Citizens– Controversies between States & Citizens– Controversies between the Federal gov., States , and / or

citizens

What is the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

• All of these cases fall under the Court’s “appellate jurisdiction”– The power to review,

revise, or overturn

• Supreme Court justices can pick and chooses cases by simple majority vote (4 votes)