1. U.S. Supreme Court

2. Called the “high court” and last court of appeal
*** only court specifically mentioned by the Constitution
2 Types of Jurisdiction
1) Original
A) cases involving diplomats from foreign countries
B) cases involving a state as a party
2) Appellate
Must be heard in lower courts and brought by appeal

3. Requirements to serve:
Appointed by the President
Confirmed by the Senate
(simple majority)
Length of term: Life
*****Pay can never be reduced
In theory- This creates an independent judiciary that is
free from political pressures

4. Confirming a justice 1) Nomination
The President, after consultation with
advisers, submits a nomination to the
Senate.
2) Investigations
The FBI, the American Bar Association, and the Senate
Judiciary Committee staff conduct investigations of the
nominee’s professional and private life. Special
interest groups and the press also bring out
information about the nominee.

5. 3) Senate Hearings
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds public hearings
to interview the nominee and hear testimony from his
or her critics and supporters.
4) Senate Voting
Senate Judiciary Committee votes
whether to recommend the nominee
to the full Senate. If recommended,
the Senate then votes to confirm or
reject the nominee.

6. 9 Members: 1 Chief justice 8 Associate Justices
# of members has stayed the same since 1869
Congress has the power to change the #
(FDR plan)
Who are the current justices??

7. Group Work
Research the following info about your Supreme Court Justice:
(Put info on “big paper”)
Name
Date of Birth
Age
Appointed by (which President)
# of years on S.C.
Education
Previous experience
Religion
Conservative/Liberal
2 random facts

8. US Supreme Court Justices
John Paul Stevens
Born: April 20, 1920
Education: A.B., Univ. of Chicago;
J.D., Northwestern Univ. School of
Law
Joined: 1975 nominated by Gerald Ford
Religion: Protestant
*** Would have needed to serve until 2012 to set record for longevity but retired on June 29, 2010

9. Antonin Scalia

10. Antonin Scalia Died: Feb 13, 2016 Born: March 11, 1936
Education: A.B., Georgetown University
and Univ. of Fribourg, Switz.
LL.B., Harvard Law School
Joined: 1986 nominated by Ronald Reagan
Religion: Roman Catholic
Died: Feb 13, 2016

11. Merrick Garland (age 64) Obama appointed to replace Scalia
Harvard/Harvard Law School Grad
Senate has refused to consider
Scalia’s seat in limbo

12. Neil Gorsuch

13. Neil Gorsuch Newest member (April 8, 2017) Appointed by Pres. Trump
Columbia Univ. B.A.
Harvard Univ. J.D.
Oxford Univ. PhD
Religion- Roman Catholic
Born- Aug 29, 1967

14. Anthony Kennedy

15. Anthony Kennedy Born: July 23, 1936
Education: B.A., Stanford University
and the London School of
Economics
LL.B. Harvard Law School
Joined: 1988 nominated by Ronald Reagan
Religion: Roman Catholic

16. Clarence Thomas

17. Clarence Thomas Born: June 23, 1948
Education: A.B., Holy Cross College
J.D., Yale Law School
Joined:
nominated by George H.W. Bush
Religion: Roman Catholic

18. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

19. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Born: March 15, 1933
Education: B.A., Cornell University
LL.B., Columbia Law School
Joined:
nominated by Bill Clinton
Religion: Jewish

20. Stephen Breyer

21. Stephen Breyer Born: August 15, 1938
Education: A.B. Stanford University
B.A., Magdalen College
at Oxford University
LL.B., Harvard Law School
Joined:
nominated by Bill Clinton
Religion: Jewish

22. Samuel Alito

23. Samuel Alito Born: April 1, 1950 Education: B.A. Princeton University
J.D. Yale Law School
Joined:
nominated by George W. Bush
Religion: Roman
Catholic

24. Sonia Sotomayor

25. Sonia Sotomayor Born: June 25, 1954
Education: B.A., Princeton University
J.D., Yale Law School
Joined: August 8, 2009
nominated by Barack Obama
1st Hispanic, 3rd Female
Religion: Roman Catholic

26. Elena Kagan

27. Elena Kagan Born: April 28, 1960 Education: B.A. Princeton Univ.
J.D., Harvard Law
Joined: August 7, 2010
nominated by Barack Obama
4th Female
Religion: Jewish

28. John G. Roberts, Jr. Chief Justice

29. John G. Roberts, Jr. Chief Justice
Born: January 27, 1955
Education: A.B. Harvard University
J.D. Harvard Law School
Joined:
nominated by George W. Bush
Religion: Roman Catholic