Basic Biographical Information  Review the bios of the nine Supreme Court Justices  Try and determine if the Justice is conservative or liberal

Chief Justice John Roberts  Harvard grad  Law clerk for Rehnquist  Associate Counsel to Reagan  U.S.Court of Appeals for D.C.  Nominated Chief Justice by Pres. Bush 2005

Samuel Alito  Yale Law  U.S. Attorney New Jersey  U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Bush 2006

Stephen Breyer  Harvard Law  Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force  U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Clinton 1994

Ruth Bader Ginsberg  Harvard and Cornell Law School  Professor at Rutgers, Columbia  Launched the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU  ACLU General Counsel and Board of Directors  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Clinton in 1993

Clarence Thomas  Yale Law  Asst. Attorney General of Missouri  Asst. Sec. for Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Ed.  Chairman Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  Nominated Associate Justice by 1 st Pres. Bush 1991

Sonia Maria Sotomayor Sotomayor was born on June 25, 1954, in The Bronx, New York. Nominated by Obama. On August 6, 2009, Sotomayor replaced retiring Justice David Souter, Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and third female justice to serve on the Supreme Court.David Souter Princeton U and Yale Law

Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court

David Souter (replaced by Sotomayor)  Rhodes Scholar  Harvard Law  Attorney General of New Hampshire  U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit  Nominated Associate Justice by 1 st Pres. Bush in 1990.

Anthony Kennedy  Harvard Law  U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Reagan 1988

Antonin Scalia  Harvard Law  Law Professor UVA, Georgetown, Stanford  U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Reagan in 1986

Elena Kagan born in New York City on April 28, Nominated by Obama. On August 5, 2010, replaced retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, John Paul Stevens the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Princeton-Oxford-Harvard Law

Elena Kagan Supreme Court Justice Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan Alex Wong/Getty Images Sponsored Links

John Paul Stevens (replaced by Kagan)  Northwestern Law  U.S. Navy  U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit  Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Ford 1975

Factors That Influence Supreme Court Nominations  Party affiliation (80% or higher)  Judicial Philosophy  “Litmus Test” - where nominees stand on controversial issues like abortion  Background of nominee (education, experience, race, gender, ethnicity, etc.)  Cultivating political support  Political favors  Interest group input  American Bar Association certification  Securing a “safe” nominee

The U.S. Constitution and the Appointment of Supreme Court Justices Article II, Section 2 describes the appointment powers of the President: “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate …to… nominate Judges of the Supreme Court….”

The U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court Article III describes the judicial power of the Supreme Court: “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress May …establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior…”

U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Process Stage 1: Presidential Nomination Stage 2: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Stage 3: Full Senate Vote WHITE HOUSE REVIEW Certification MEDIA Influence FBI Investigation INTEREST GROUP Influence Stage 4: Oath of Office?

U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Process 1.White House staff reviews candidates and submits a short list to the president 2.FBI background investigation 3.Candidates submit financial disclosure forms 4.ABA grades candidates 5.Interest groups weigh in on candidates 6.President selects nominee Stage 1 Presidential Nomination

U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Process 1.Senate Judiciary members and their staffs review candidate’s background (may conduct own investigation) 2.Interest groups may conduct campaigns for or against nominee (including TV ads) 3.Intense media attention to Senate hearings 4.Senate Judiciary Committee questions candidate on judicial philosophy, stands on key issues, etc. 5.Judiciary Committee votes up or down on nominee and sends recommendation to full Senate Stage 2 Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings

U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Process 1.Floor debate on nominee 2.Confirmation vote by full Senate Stage 3 Full Senate Vote

U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Process 1.If confirmed by the Senate, nominee sworn in, usually by Chief Justice 2.Once on the Court, justices often make decisions on the bench very different from what the nominating President had anticipated Stage 4 Oath of Office independent judiciary