The Supreme Court is the highest court in the US that hears appeals from lower federal and state courts. It is composed of 9 justices including the Chief Justice. Justices are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, serving lifetime appointments. The Court has appellate jurisdiction over most cases but will only hear around 150 of the thousands of appeals submitted each year. It is responsible for ensuring the constitution is upheld when conflicts with other laws arise.
Where does a judge find the rules? The judicial imagination is not sufficient authority, even though some judicial decisions seem to suggest otherwise. There are several sources of the law, the primary ones being the Constitution, legislation, and prior judicial decisions. This last is the subject matter of this session.
For use with sections 8.3 & 8.4, this presentation reviews the information in Guided Readings for these section. It focuses on the Supreme Court, its work, and its decisions.
1. Supreme Court Cases
-Highest Court in the Nation
-All Decisions are Final
-Usually Appellate Jurisdiction Only
-Only hears about 150 of thousands
of appeals
2. Court’s Power
-Constitution is the Highest Law
-Constitution is the Supreme Law when
there is a conflict with other laws
-Court is responsible for upholding the
Constitution
-Judicial Review
Power of the Supreme Court to
examine a law and determine its
constitutionality
-Limiting the Court’s Power
-Constitutional Amendments
-Selection of Judges
3. Supreme Court Justices
-made up of 9 justices
-1 is Chief Justice
-8 Associate Justices
-no official requirements
all have been lawyers
-appointed by the President w/
Senate approval
-appointed to a life term
-very important appointment process
4. Supreme Court Justices
-made up of 9 justices
-1 is Chief Justice
-8 Associate Justices
-no official requirements
all have been lawyers
-appointed by the President w/
Senate approval
-appointed to a life term
-very important appointment process
5. Supreme Court Justices
-made up of 9 justices
-1 is Chief Justice
-8 Associate Justices
-no official requirements
all have been lawyers
-appointed by the President w/
Senate approval
-appointed to a life term
-very important appointment process
6. Court at Work
-In session from Oct to June/July
each year
-Each month follows a pattern
-1st 2 weeks the court hears cases,
make announcements, and discuss
current cases
-2nd 2 weeks the justices are writing
opinions, deciding what cases to
hear, and researching cases
7. Which Cases?
-Justices discuss and must agree on
the merits of a case for it to be
heard
-Only hears certain kinds of cases
-Usually hears just appellate cases
8. Court Decisions
-Justices discuss cases with each other
-Make one of three decisions
Uphold
Overturn
Remand
-Each decision is accompanied with a
written opinion explaining the law
about the case
-Majority Opinion--the written
decision of the justices on the winning
side
-Concurrent Opinion-- the written
opinion of a justice who agrees with
the majority but may have slightly
different reasons
-Dissenting Opinion-- the written
opinions of a justice who disagreed
with the majority