1. The Judicial Branch Clip art from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx © North Carolina Community College System

2. The Judicial Branch of government interprets and applies the law.

3. The Court Reviews laws Explains laws Resolves disputes (disagreements) Decides if a law contradicts the Constitution

4. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.

5. There are nine justices (judges) on the Supreme Court.

6. One of the judges is the leader or Chief Justice. The current Chief Justice of the United States is John G. Roberts, Jr.

7. Justices are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. A President can appoint federal judges but he cannot remove them. This protects justices from political pressure.

8. The Constitution protects judges so they can make fair decisions: 1.Judges are appointed for life unless Congress convicts them of treason, bribery, or some other serious crime. 2.No one can reduce the salary of a judge.

9. This ends our look at the three branches of the U.S. government. Legislative Executive Judicial In the next lesson, we will begin the final part of the Constitution—the Amendments.