U.S. Supreme Court 101
Every several years, the President nominates a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, and oftentimes the nomination and subsequent confirmation by Congress resembles a slow-moving comet: something we all understand is significant but somehow passes in the quiet of the night.
Yesterday, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayer Sotomayor to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter. If confirmed by Congress, as expected, Sotomayer Sotomayor will become just the third woman to sit on the Court and the first justice of Latin descent. We at Dinner Topics want you to be prepared to discuss the ground-breaking nomination, so here are five important things you need to know about the highest court in our land:
- Jurisdiction. The Court is largely an appellate court and generally only can hear cases involving the U.S. Constitution, federal laws, treaties, foreign states, maritime law, and disputes between states. The Court typically does not hear cases relating exclusively to a state or its laws.
- Nomination. The Constitution gives the President the power to nominate justices “with the advice and consent of the Senate”. Thus a majority of the 100 U.S. senators must confirm a nomination. In recent years, the confirmation process has evolved into weeks of painstaking hearings.
- Size. The Court is made up of nine justices. The U.S. Constitution does not specify the size of the Court but gives Congress the power to do so. Over the years, the size of the Court has ranged from as little as six justices, to as many as ten.
- Tenure. Justices may hold their seats for life. Specifically, the Constitution provides that justices may “hold their offices during good behavior.” “Good behavior” has been interpreted to mean “alive.”
- Justices. The Court currently is made up of the following justices: John Roberts (age 54); John Paul Stevens (age 89); Antonin Scalia (age 73); Anthony Kennedy (age 72); David Souter (age 69); Clarence Thomas (age 60); Ruth Bader Ginsberg (age 76); Steven Breyer (age 70); and Samuel Alito (age 59). (Note: at age 89, John Paul Stevens almost certainly will be replaced during the current presidency.)
Read on:
Wikipedia – Supreme Court of the United States
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