1. Supreme Court
Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

2. Basic Information… 9 Justices Nominated by President
Approved by Senate
Hold position for life or until retire

3. Judicial Review… Marbury v. Madison Reviews Constitutionality of:
State and federal legislation
Actions of chief executives
Decisions of other courts

4. Important Terms… Writ of Certiorari Stare Decisis/ Precedent Remember:
Majority Opinion
Concurring Opinion
Dissenting Opinion
The losing litigant in the court below asks permission and the Supreme Court exercises its discretion to grant review.

5. I will take this case all the way to the Supreme Court …
“Rule of Four”
Annual docket = 8,000 cases
Fewer than 100 heard or reviewed
$300 filing fee
In forma pauperis outnumber 3-1
Quorum = 6
Four justices must agree to hear the case. -- Minority sets the agenda

6. Basic Biographical Information
Review the bios of the nine Supreme Court Justices
Try and determine if the Justice is conservative or liberal

7. Chief Justice John Roberts
Harvard grad
Law clerk for Rehnquist
Associate Counsel to Reagan
U.S.Court of Appeals for D.C.
Nominated Chief Justice by Pres. Bush 2005

8. Samuel Alito Yale Law U.S. Attorney New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Bush 2006

9. Stephen Breyer Harvard Law
Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force
U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Clinton 1994

10. Ruth Bader Ginsberg Harvard and Cornell Law School
Professor at Rutgers, Columbia
Launched the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU
ACLU General Counsel and Board of Directors
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Clinton in 1993

11. Clarence Thomas Yale Law Asst. Attorney General of Missouri
Asst. Sec. for Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Ed.
Chairman EEO Commission
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Bush 1991

12. David Souter Rhodes Scholar Harvard Law
Attorney General of New Hampshire
U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Bush in 1990.

13. Anthony Kennedy Harvard Law
Chaired the Committee on Pacific Territories
U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Reagan 1988

14. Antonin Scalia Harvard Law Law Professor UVA, Georgetown, Stanford
U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Reagan in 1986

15. John Paul Stevens Northwestern Law U.S. Navy
U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit
Nominated Associate Justice by Pres. Ford 1975

16. Review the following Decisions
Use the voting patterns of the Justices to determine what you believe will be their vote for the following cases…
Wallace v. Kato
Philip Morris USA v. Williams
Cunningham v. California

17. Sources: http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/scprimer.pdf