The+Supreme+Court

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 * A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court **
 * The Supreme Court of the United States **

Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” The Supreme Court of the United States was created in accordance with this provision and by authority of the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73). It was organized on February 2, 1790.
 * Constitutional Origin. **Article III, §1, of the Constitution provides that “[t]he judicial

ELANA KAGAN ANTONIN SCALIA ANTHONY M. KENNEDY SONIA SOTOMAYOR CLARENCE THOMAS <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">RUTH BADER GINSBURG <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">STEPHEN G. BREYER <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">SAMUEL A. ALITO, JR.
 * //<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook,BoldItalic','serif';">Members: //**
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Chief Justice of the United States **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">JOHN G. ROBERTS, JR.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Associate Justices **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress. The number of Associate Justices is <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">currently fixed at eight (28 U. S. C. §1). Power to nominate the Justices is vested in the <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">President of the United States, and appointments are made with the advice and consent of <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">the Senate. Article III, §1, of the Constitution further provides that “[t]he Judges, both <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">diminished during their Continuance in Office.”

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">“The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State;—between Citizens of different <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">States;—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">or Subjects. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">“In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public ministers and Consuls, and those in <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.” <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Appellate jurisdiction has been conferred upon the Supreme Court by various statutes, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">under the authority given Congress by the Constitution. The basic statute effective at <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">this time in conferring and controlling jurisdiction of the Supreme Court may be found in <span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">28 U. S. C. §1251 et seq., and various special statutes.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook,Bold','serif';">Jurisdiction. **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">According to the Constitution (Art. III, §2):

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Court power to prescribe rules of procedure to be followed by the lower courts of the United States. See 28 U. S. C. §2071 et seq.
 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook,Bold','serif';">Rulemaking Power. **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">Congress has from time to time conferred upon the Supreme


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook,Bold','serif';">The Term. **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'CenturySchoolbook','serif';">The Term of the Court begins, by law, on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October of the next year. Approximately 10,000 petitions are filed with the Court in the course of a Term. In addition, some 1,200 applications of various kinds are filed each year that can be acted upon by a single Justice.


 * 1) According to the constitution judicial power is vested in what? In what part of the constitution is this explained?

2. How many associate justices are their currently on the Supreme Court. Who decides what that number will be? Who is he Chief Justice?

3. Briefly describe what type of cases the Supreme Court has judicial power over?

4. Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Once they are appointed the justices serve on the court until they either retire or die. Why do you think the framers of the Constitution set up the appointment process the way they did and why did they give the justices life long terms?

= The Justices: Differing Views =

Please watch the two videos below on Antonin Scalia and John Paul Stevens. Then write a journal entry comparing the two justices and their philosophies. Which one do you agree with more?

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