Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the <a href="/facts/Highest_court/fBeVqM3u">highest court</a> in the <a href="/facts/Federal_judiciary_of_the_United_States/RfX1mMs6">federal judiciary of the United States</a>. It has ultimate <a href="/facts/Appellate_jurisdiction/f2qgLakM">appellate jurisdiction</a> over all <a href="/facts/Federal_tribunals_in_the_United_States/VzNfPJcR">U.S. federal court</a> cases, and over <a href="/facts/State_court_(United_States)/cjcdnRhU">state court</a> cases that turn on questions of <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_the_United_States/AJlEWNR3">U.S. constitutional</a> or <a href="/facts/Law_of_the_United_States/qVcQjGCe">federal law</a>. It also has <a href="/facts/Original_jurisdiction_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/apBHfqNn">original jurisdiction</a> over a narrow range of cases, specifically "all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party." In 1803, the Court asserted itself the power of <a href="/facts/Judicial_review_in_the_United_States/5KxpV8Rx">judicial review</a>, the ability to invalidate a <a href="/facts/Statute/10qGu7zM">statute</a> for violating a provision of the Constitution via the landmark case <a href="/facts/Marbury_v._Madison/LHtU6Wap">Marbury v. Madison</a>. It is also able to strike down <a href="/facts/Presidential_directive/dQVoPCC8">presidential directives</a> for violating either the Constitution or <a href="/facts/Statutory_law/UCL1ARYE">statutory law</a>.
Under <a href="/facts/Article_Three_of_the_United_States_Constitution/PY6Fyzzd">Article Three of the United States Constitution</a>, the composition and procedures of the Supreme Court were originally established by the <a href="/facts/1st_United_States_Congress/1jKDGl2U">1st Congress</a> through the <a href="/facts/Judiciary_Act_of_1789/sVzhAtrb">Judiciary Act of 1789</a>. As it has since 1869, the court consists of nine justices – the <a href="/facts/Chief_justice_of_the_United_States/nok98zla">chief justice of the United States</a> and eight <a href="/facts/Associate_Justice_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/K88lDBQu">associate justices</a> – who meet at the <a href="/facts/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building/2mMVFy8K">Supreme Court Building</a> in <a href="/facts/Washington,_D.C./enXPK156">Washington, D.C.</a> Justices have <a href="/facts/Lifetime_tenure/95hzntCy">lifetime tenure</a>, meaning they remain on the court until they die, retire, resign, or are <a href="/facts/Federal_impeachment_in_the_United_States/tIvDAovH">impeached</a> and removed from office. When a vacancy occurs, the <a href="/facts/President_of_the_United_States/oMsfmLb1">president</a>, with the <a href="/facts/Nomination_and_confirmation_to_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/XQk3g6S0">advice and consent</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate/VyzXHE01">Senate</a>, appoints a new justice. Each justice has a single vote in deciding the cases argued before the court. When in the majority, the chief justice decides who writes the <a href="/facts/Opinion_of_the_court/S1Y2vLBf">opinion of the court</a>; otherwise, the most senior justice in the majority assigns the task of writing the opinion.
On average, the Supreme Court receives about 7,000 petitions for <a href="/facts/Writs_of_certiorari/wnK0Eeuf">writs of certiorari</a> each year, but only grants about 80.

Supreme Court of the United States open-in-new

Supreme Court of the United States