Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the judicial branch which is established by the Constitution and organized by Congress. Congress put in place the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created a Supreme Court with six justices. Since then, the number of seats on the Supreme Court has varied from a low of five to a high of ten. The President chooses the justices and the Senate confirms them. These restrictions on the political branches of government are necessary in order to protect the independence of the judiciary.
The jurisdiction is established in Article III, Section II of the Constitution. The Court has original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction. Original jurisdiction is when a case is tried before the Court and appellate jurisdiction is when the Court can hear the case on appeal. There are very few times where the Court doesn’t have to hear a case. The Certiorari Act of 1925 gives the Court power to pick and choose which cases it will take. The most powerful part of the Supreme Court is the judicial review. This grants the Court power to declare a violation against the Constitution, otherwise known as the case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803.
The Supreme Court has many roles. Due to the Courts power of judicial review, it must ensure that each branch of government recognizes the limits of their power. The Supreme Court is the last resort for those seeking justice. Since it rules out laws that violate the Constitution, it also protects civil rights and liberties. Last but not least, it ensures that popular majorities can’t pass laws that undermine American values. The Court does this by limiting the democratic governments power. Aside from lawyers and judges, the Supreme Court has a vast impact on society at large; protecting our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, etc.
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