The Supreme Court Background Article III Section 1
The Supreme Court
Background Article III, Section 1: "the judicial 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. " Created Met by the Judiciary Act of 1789 for the first time on February 2, 1790.
Justices 1 Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices, each with equal voting power Began with 6 justices, then 7 in 1801 and finally to 9 in 1869 Each justice is nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and serves for life. Senate confirmation process begins with hearings before the Judiciary Committee and ends with a vote of the full Senate
Current Justices Chief Justice John Roberts (Appointed by George W. Bush)
Current Justices Conservative Justices Clarence Samuel John Neil Thomas (Appointed by George H. W. Bush) Alito (Appointed by George W. Bush) Roberts (Appointed by George W. Bush) Gorsuch (Appointed by Donald Trump) Brett Kavanaugh (Appointed by Donald Trump)
Current Justices Liberal Justices Steven Ruth Breyer (Appointed by Clinton) Bader Ginsburg (Appointed by Clinton) Sonya Elena Sotomayor (Appointed by Obama) Keagan (Appointed by Obama)
Term of the Court begins, by law, on the first Monday in October Typically decisions are announced in all the argued cases by the end of June Around 7, 000 to 8, 000 petitions are filed with the Court over the course of a single Term The court hears about 100 for full briefing and oral argument.
Originalist vs. Non-Originalist (Strict Constructionalist) Follows the exact wording of the Constitution Non-Originalist interprets (Judicial Activist) the meaning of the Constitution
Questions Which do you think is the best way to view the Constitution? Originalist or Non-Originalist. Why? Does the political party of a Supreme Court justice matter? Explain your answer
- Slides: 9