1. The U.S. Supreme Court

2. The Supreme
Court
The Supreme Court’s term runs from the first Monday in October through the end of June.

3. Inside The Supreme Court Building

4. The Federal Judicial System
Article III (Constitutional)
Versus
Article I (Legislative)
Courts
Original Jurisdiction
The authority of a court to hear a case “in the first instance”
Appellate Jurisdiction
The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts

5. The Scope of Judicial Power
Judicial power is passive and reactive
Hamilton called it “the least dangerous branch.”
Power only to decide judicial disputes
A Dual court system
Two court systems, state and federal, exist and operate at the same time in the same geographic areas
Cases must be ripe
Cases cannot be moot
Cases cannot be political
Judicial Federalism: State & Federal Courts

6. The Eleven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal

7. The Supreme Court & How it Operates
The Powers of
the Chief Justice
Appointed by the president upon confirmation by the Senate
Responsible for assigning judges to committees, responding to proposed legislation that affects the judiciary, and delivering the annual Report on the State of the Judiciary
Which Cases Reach
the Supreme Court?

8. The Supreme Court’s Increasing Caseload

10. Judicial Power in a Constitutional Democracy
The Great Debate over the Proper Role of the Courts
The People and the Court
The contemporary debate over the Supreme Court's role is really a debate about the proper balance between government authority versus individual rights.

11. Current Supreme Court Justices
Chief Justice John Roberts
Appointed: Bush, 2005
January 27, 1955
Conservative

12. Current Supreme Court Justices
Anthony Kennedy
Appointed: Reagan, 1988
July 23, 1936
Swing Vote (Usually Conservative)

13. Current Supreme Court Justices
Clarence Thomas
Appointed: Bush, 1991
June 23, 1948
Strong Conservative

14. Current Supreme Court Justices
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Appointed: Clinton, 1993
March 13, 1933
Strong Liberal

15. Current Supreme Court Justices
Stephen Breyer
Appointed: Clinton, 1994
August 14, 1938
Liberal

16. Current Supreme Court Justices
Samuel Alito
Appointed: Bush, 2006
April 1, 1950
Conservative

17. Current Supreme Court Justices
Sonia Sotomayor
Appointed: Obama, 2009
June 25, 1954
Strong Liberal

18. Current Supreme Court Justices
Elena Kagan
Appointed: Obama, 2010
April 28, 1960
Liberal

19. Current Supreme Court Justices
Neil Gorsuch
Appointed: Trump 2017
August 27, 1967
Strong Conservative