The Supreme Court Alexander Hamilton once said – “the judiciary is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power” Do you agree?

Why do we have a Supreme Court? Established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution – “the judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one supreme court”

Where is the Supreme Court located? Has it always been there?

No… February 1, 1790 – Merchants Exchange Building New York, NY 1 st Chief Justice of Supreme Court – John Jay

Where is the next meeting? When Washington, D.C. is finished – Supreme Court moves to U.S. Capitol Building In the basement 1814 – After DC was attacked by British Supreme Court meets in a bar for a year until Capitol Bldg. is fixed.

Then, they finally get their own home – Franklin D. Roosevelt has the Supreme Court building built in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court Building

Development of the Supreme Court 1789 – Established the Judiciary Act Established a 3 tier structure for the federal court system – Local and district courts – Courts of appeals – Supreme Court – That’s all they got done….literally The country was too young for there to be a lot of Supreme Court cases. – Even Chief Justice John Jay worked part time as U.S. Ambassador to Britain

The Supreme Court gains Strength 1801 – New Chief Justice John Marshall believed the court needed to be stronger. 1 st major Supreme Court case – Marbury vs. Madison S.Ct ruled that they have final voice in deciding the constitutionality of government issues. – Called “judicial review”

Today’s Supreme Court Very influential. 9 justices make up the court 1 Chief Justice – Justice who presides over the court. Today’s Chief Justice – John Roberts

How do you become a Supreme Court Justice? Anybody can become a Supreme Court justice – No Constitutional age or professional requirement Must be appointed by POTUS – Needs approval from Senate – Appointed for life!!! Most recent – Judge Sonia Sotomayor Appointed by Pres. Obama

How does the Supreme Court work? Supreme Court serves primarily as an appeals court. – 90% of its cases come from lower courts – Other cases heard by S. Court refer to Disputes between 2 states (Ohio vs. Michigan) Disputes between state and federal government (Maryland vs. US) How do you win an appeal to the Supreme Court? – Must write out a writ of certiorari A written request to have your case heard by the Supreme Court. – If they say yes, your case goes on the docket » Schedule of cases for the Supreme Court to get to.

What steps are taken once a case is taken by the Supreme Court? Briefs given to justices – They read privately in chambers Oral arguments given by attorneys on case – Have timed arguments (usually 30 minutes) Conference – Led by Chief Justice Talk about case, new cases, and other judicial issues Preparation of opinions – Need a majority vote for an appeal to take place. – Most senior member of “Concur” votes writes the opinion Concur = agree, but for different reasons – Most senior member of “Dissent” votes writes the opinion Dissent = disagree Announcement of decisions – Announcement made to public

The End…