Supreme Court Quiz

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States, with ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of U.S. Constitutional or federal law. It also has original jurisdiction over a narrow range of cases. The court holds the power of judicial review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law. The court consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, who have lifetime tenure. The court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. The court's power and prestige grew substantially during the Marshall Court (1801–1835) and the Warren Court (1953–1969). The Burger Court (1969–1986) saw a conservative shift, while the Rehnquist Court (1986–2005) was known for its revival of judicial enforcement of federalism. The Roberts Court (2005–present) is regarded as more conservative than the Rehnquist Court. The president has the plenary power to nominate a justice, while the Senate possesses the plenary power to reject or confirm the nominee. The Senate Judiciary Committee conducts hearings and votes on whether the nomination should go to the full Senate with a positive, negative, or neutral report. Once the Senate confirms a nomination, the president must prepare and sign a commission before the appointee can take office.Overview of the Supreme Court of the United States

• Justices must be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate before taking office.

• The approval process has become longer since the Reagan administration, taking an average of 67 days from nomination to final Senate vote.

• Recess appointments can be made by the President when the Senate is in recess, but the Senate must confirm the nominee for them to continue serving.

• Justices serve for life, with the only way to remove them being through the impeachment process.

• Vacancies can be unpredictable, sometimes occurring in quick succession or with long gaps between them.

• The Supreme Court currently consists of nine members, with the size of the court being determined by Congress.

• The court currently has five male and four female justices, with two African American justices and one Hispanic justice.

• Six justices are Roman Catholics, one is Jewish, and one is Protestant.

• Previous positions or offices held by justices prior to joining the court vary widely.

• Diversity in the court has increased in recent decades, with Thurgood Marshall becoming the first African-American justice in 1967 and Sandra Day O'Connor becoming the first female justice in 1981.

• There have been six foreign-born justices in the court's history, and about one-third of the justices have been U.S. military veterans.

• There are currently four living retired justices of the Supreme Court, who no longer participate in the work of the court but may be designated for temporary assignments to sit on lower federal courts.

• Justices' decisions to retire are often influenced by personal, institutional, ideological, partisan, and political factors.

• Seniority plays a role in the day-to-day activities of the justices, including seating arrangements based on seniority.The Supreme Court of the United States: Structure, Salary, Judicial Leanings, Facilities, and Jurisdiction

• The Supreme Court of the United States is composed of nine justices, one of whom is the chief justice.

• The chief justice ranks first in the order of precedence, followed by the associate justices ranked by seniority.

• Justices speak and vote in order of seniority during private conferences, with the most junior justice performing menial tasks.

• As of 2021, associate justices receive a yearly salary of $268,300, and the chief justice is paid $280,500 per year.

• Justices are informally categorized as judicial conservatives, moderates, or liberals based on their legal outlook, not their political affiliation.

• The current court consists of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three appointed by Democratic presidents.

• Chief Justice Roberts was the court's median justice before Justice Ginsburg's death and Barrett's confirmation; now, Kavanaugh is the court's median justice.

• The court's decisions are not always sharply divided along ideological lines, with almost half of cases decided unanimously in the 2009 term.

• The Supreme Court building was designed by Cass Gilbert and includes the courtroom, justices' chambers, a law library, and auxiliary services.

• The court is open to the public on weekdays, and visitors may attend oral arguments when the court is in session.

• The Supreme Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over cases between two or more states and original but not exclusive jurisdiction to hear certain cases.

• The court's appellate jurisdiction consists of appeals from federal courts of appeal, and it considers cases based on its original jurisdiction very rarely.Overview of the United States Supreme Court

• The United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States.

• The Supreme Court has nine justices who are appointed for life by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

• The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for cases arising in the federal courts, and may also hear appeals from state courts in certain circumstances.

• The Supreme Court term runs from October to June or early July of the following year, with alternating periods of sittings and recesses.

• The majority of cases come before the court by way of petitions for writs of certiorari, commonly referred to as cert.

• The court may only review "final judgments rendered by the highest court of a state in which a decision could be had" if those judgments involve a question of federal statutory or constitutional law.

• Cases are decided by majority vote of the justices, and one of the justices in the majority is then assigned to write the court's opinion.

• The court's opinions are published in three stages: slip opinion, preliminary print of United States Reports, and final bound volume of U.S. Reports.

• Justices are free to change their votes on a case up until the decision is finalized and published.

• The Supreme Court bar contains an estimated 230,000 members, but pleading is limited to several hundred attorneys.

• The circuit justice for each circuit is responsible for dealing with certain types of applications that may be addressed by a single justice, such as emergency stays and injunctions.

• The Supreme Court cannot decide cases that are moot and does not render advisory opinions.