Supreme Court! As the name suggests it is the highest legal system of a nation responsible for the issuing of the federal law of the country as well as to review the decisions of cases taken by the lower courts.
Since the Supreme Court is of the highest authorities of a nation, therefore highly competent, experienced and qualified people are needed to undertake the responsibilities of providing the most suitable decisions which the body for whom the decisions have been made would consider fair and just. It is really important for everyone to learn about the judicial systems of their country. Let’s take a look at how many justices are on the Supreme Court.
Supreme court of US:
The supreme court of the United States is abbreviated as SCOTUS, which is the highest legal authority (federal system) of the US. Since it has the supreme tag to it, therefore it has a control over the lower courts (Appellate jurisdiction) and can review and alter the decisions made previously by the lower courts. SCOTUS also takes care of laying down the federal laws of state court cases and can give a hearing to a case for the first time and later can review it in the first session.
Supreme Court is not just a building being tagged as “supreme”. It is an association of people who are responsible to undertake its obligations. In this post we’ll increase your awareness about how many justices are on the Supreme Court.
How many justices are on the supreme court now:
Under this category we will be giving you a detailed description, on the present justices of the United States of America.
Let’s start with the most important authority of the Supreme Court –
1> The Chief justice of the United States, John G. Roberts.
- Born in buffalo, in the city of New York on 27th of Jan 1955, lives with his wife Jane Marie Sullivan, and two children Jack and Josephine.
- He was appointed by president George W Bush as the Chief justice of the United States, and joined the judicial system officially on 29th of September 2005.
2> Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice:
- Born in the city of Sacramento, a city of California on 23rd of July 1936. He has a family consisting of his wife Mary Davis along with his three children.
- He graduated From London School of economics and Stanford University and pursued his LLB from Harvard Law School. He was selected for the United States court of appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the year 1975.
- He was nominated for the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by the president Reagan and joined the judicial system on February 18th, 1988.
3> Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice:
- He was born in Georgia near Savannah on 23rd of June, 1948.
- He was appointed for the post of associate justice of the Supreme Court by the president George W bush, and became active on 23rd of October 1991.
4> Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice:
- She was born in the city of Brooklyn in New York on March 15th, 1933. She graduated from Cornell University, and also attended Harvard Law School and pursued her LLB from Columbia Law School.
- She was nominated by President Clinton as an Associate justice of the Supreme Court and became active on 10th august 1993.
5> Samuel Anthony Alito Jr, associate judge:
- Samuel Anthony was born on 1st of April 1950
- He is the second Italian-American to become a justice of the supreme court of US.
- He’s been regarded as one of the most conservative justices of the supreme court of US.
- He was appointed by the president George W bush.
6> Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice:
- She was born in the city of Bronx in New York on June 25th She graduated from Princeton University in 1976, she also graduated summa cum laude and was honored the university’s highest academic honor.
- She was nominated by President Barack Obama for the post of associate Justice of the Supreme Court and became active on 8th of august 2009.
7> Elena Kagan, Associate Justice:
- She was born in the city of New York on 28th April, 1960. She graduated from Princeton in 1981, and earned M. Phil. from Oxford University in 1983, and also achieved a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1986.
- Initially after several roles President Barack Obama appointed her for the post of Solicitor General of the United States.
- Later, she was nominated again by President Barack Obama for the post of associate Justice of the Supreme Court and became active on 7th of August 2010.
Some Facts About USA Supreme Court:
- The legislative chamber is a part of the bicameral legislature of the United States which is also known as a senate, it is responsible for the confirmation of the judicial body of the Supreme Court which is initially selected by the president of the Unites States of America.
- Initially the number of members of the Supreme Court of US used to be only 5. Later some amendments were made and the number gradually rose to 9.
- There are a total of nine members in the judicial body which consists of chief justice of the United States and 8 associate judges.
- The path to become a justice at the Supreme Court is not a short and easy one. The justices are to be lawyers before entering into the world of supreme decision making.
- Factors such as Age, residency and citizenships can serve as a necessity for becoming a justice however, it doesn’t serves as a hindrance in its path.
- No fixed retirement age is allotted at the Supreme Court. The justice, can carry on with their profession as long as they do not opt for retirement.
- George Washington has selected the maximum number of justice till date in the history of the United States of America, with 11 selections being made on account of his credit.
Supreme Court Justices Quizlet:
In order to understand the USA jurisdiction system allow us to indulge you in a short quiz:
1> Number of people make up the Supreme Court?
- 9 Justices (8 associates and 1 Chief Justice)
2> Main duty of the Supreme Court?
- To choose which cases to hear, take decisions, written opinion/answer
3> Chief Justice of the US?
- John G Roberts Jr.
4> Associate Justices?
- Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Anthony Alito Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Stephen G Breyer who was also an assistant special prosecutor
5> The first case and what did it establish?
- Marbury v. Madison which established Judicial Review
6> What is meant by Judicial Review?
- Courts to review the conclusions of the other subdivisions of government and decide whether the government has acted correctly
7> First woman justice of Supreme court
- Sandra Day O’Connell first women on Supreme Court
Supreme Court is not doubt a house full of astute and wise people, after all justice isn’t something to be taken heedlessly!
