1. Court Procedures
The Supreme Court is not required to hear all cases presented before it and carefully chooses the cases it will consider.
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2. Court Procedures (cont.)
Supreme Court justices meet each year for a nine-month term.
Special sessions
Supreme Court justices will place an accepted case on the court's docket, or calendar, if four out of the nine justices agree to do so.
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3. Court Procedures (cont.)
Accepting a case
Significant constitutional question
Deal with real people and events
Address legal rather than political issues
Supreme Court Caseload
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4. Court Procedures (cont.)
Constitutional questions:
Freedom of speech
Equal protection of the laws
Fair trial
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5. Court Procedures (cont.)
Supreme Court cases go through a series of steps:
Written arguments- a brief explains one side’s position
Oral arguments- 30 minutes presented by the lawyer
Conference-6 justices must be present. Chief presides, 5 votes needed
Opinion writing (different types)
Majority
concurrent opinion-agrees on decisions for different reasons
Dissenting opinion-different from majority
Unanimous
Announcement-completed writings
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6. Reasons for Decisions (cont.)
There are many factors that influence Supreme Court decisions.
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7. Reasons for Decisions (cont.)
Social conditions:
Segregation
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court
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8. Reasons for Decisions (cont.)
Different views of the law
Personal beliefs
Stare decisis” –let the decision stand
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9. The Judicial Branch
The Constitution provided for a Supreme Court of the United States as part of a court system that would balance the powers of the other two branches of government.
The United States judiciary consists of parallel systems of federal and state courts.
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10. The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the final authority in the federal court system.
Most of the Supreme Court cases come from appeals of lower court decisions.
Judicial review gives the Supreme Court the authority to determine the constitutionality of government laws and actions.
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11. Decisions of the Court
The Court’s decisions are written in an opinion.
When all justices unanimously agree on an opinion, it is written for the entire Court in a unanimous opinion.
When there is not a unanimous opinion, a majority opinion is written.
One or more dissenting opinions are usually written by those justices who do not agree with the majority.
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12. Figure 4

13. District Court, Appeals Court, Supreme Court
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14. After a suite is brought to the Court, the Court can declare that law unconstitutional.
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