The Supreme Court, created by the Judicial Act of September 24, 1789, is the highest judicial body in the United States. The Court consists of nine Justices: the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Justices are nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. They are appointed to serve for life, and can only be removed by resignation, or by impeachment and conviction. The current court includes Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Associate Justices John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the U.S. Supreme Court Building, located on Capitol Hill. The Court did not have a separate building until 1935. The classical Corinthian architectural style was chosen to harmonize with the nearby congressional buildings. The Court’s yearly term usually starts on the first Monday in October and is finished sometime the following June or July. Approximately 8,000 petitions are filed with the Court each year.
Web Sites
- The Oyez Project Multimedia Archive of the Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court Historical Society
- The Supreme Court of the United States
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Supreme Court, or the names of individual justices.
Databases
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