Supreme Court and Judicial System

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Part of the Constitution that creates the Supreme Court

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ARTICLE III of the Constitution

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Term length for a Supreme Court Justice

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Serve for life

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Number of Supreme Court Justices called for by the Constitution and current number on the court

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The U.S. Constitution does not specify the number of Supreme Court Justices. There are currently one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

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Change in the number of cases (civil and criminal) in the federal court system since the 1970s

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They have gone up

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Role of the Solicitor General

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- File the briefs for the government - Present oral arguments for the government - Represent the Government and determine the position the government takes

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Definition of a dissenting opinion

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A dissenting opinion is a legal case written by one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion of the court which gives rise to its judgment.

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Definition of a concurring opinion

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A concurring opinion is an opinion that supports the majority decision, but also stresses a different constitutional or legal basis for the judgment.

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Definition of judicial review and its constitutional basis

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The ability of the Court to declare a Legislative or Executive act in violation of the Constitution is not found within the text of the Constitution itself. The Court established this doctrine in the case of Marbury v. Madison.

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Type of courts that only review legal procedures of a case

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Appellate courts

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Original Jurisdiction

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The power of a court to hear a case first, before any other court. The Federal District Courts have original jurisdiction.