Supreme Court of the United States

US Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court of the judiciary of the United States of America. Between 1800 and 1935, it met primarily in the basement of the United States Capitol building, then in the Old Senate Chamber, until it moved into its present location at One First Street NE, Washington, D.C.. Despite being considered a weak organization in its earlier years, it has become a powerhouse that has taken the lead on issues of social justice.

Structure

The Court is currently composed of eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. To assist them there are many clerks, guards, and staff. Cases are heard en banc whenever the Court is in session. Historians generally divide Court history into eras named after the Chief Justice then presiding (e.g., the Rehnquist Court).

Justices are appointed by the U.S. President with the advice and approval of the U.S. Senate. Justices must be approved by a simple majority of the Senate.

A list of pending cases to be heard on their merits by the Supreme Court, also known as petitions for which certiorari has been granted, is available on its website. For a list of petitions granted and to be heard in fall 2007, see 2007 Cert. Granted.

Opinions

Prior to the Marshall Court, the Court issued opinions in seriatim. This means that each Justice wrote his own opinion and delivered it from the bench. Currently, the Court issues one opinion, said to be "the opinion of the Court". Opinions tend to have the history of the case, followed by the Court's reasoning and action. Generally the opinion will be written by a member of the majority, chosen by either the Chief Justice or the most senior Justice in the majority.

When a majority of Justices agrees to the opinion, it is called the majority opinion. Occasionally, a majority of Justices agrees to the remedy, yet a minority of Justices agrees with the main opinion. This is called a plurality opinion.

Justices that disagree with the Court's action can and frequently do write dissenting opinions, which state their objections to the ruling. When a Justice agrees with an action, but not the reasoning behind it, he may write a concurring opinion, which states the reasoning he would have used.

Current members

Name Date of Accession Appointed by Title General ideology John Paul Stevens December 19, 1975 Gerald Ford Associate Justice liberal Antonin Scalia September 26, 1986 Ronald Reagan Associate Justice conservative Anthony Kennedy February 18, 1988 Ronald Reagan Associate Justice moderate/swing David Souter October 9, 1990 George H. W. Bush Associate Justice liberal Clarence Thomas October 23, 1991 George H. W. Bush Associate Justice conservative Ruth Bader Ginsburg August 10, 1993 Bill Clinton Associate Justice liberal Stephen Breyer August 3, 1994 Bill Clinton Associate Justice liberal John Roberts September 29, 2005 George W. Bush Chief Justice conservative Samuel Alito January 31, 2006 George W. Bush Associate Justice conservative

The Supreme Court of the United States, 2007