Difference between revisions of "Supreme Court of the United States"

Revision as of 09:56, March 29, 2007

US Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court of the United States of America.

Structure

The Court is composed of eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. 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).

Justice are appointed by the U.S. President with the advice and approval of the U.S. Senate

Opinions

Prior to the Marshall Court, the Court issued opinions in seratim. This means that each Justice wrote their 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 agree to the opinion, it is called the majority opinion. Occasionally, a majority of Justices agree to the remedy, yet a minority of Justices agree 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, they may write a concurring opinion, which state the reasoning they would have used.

Current members