6.3 Supreme Court Justices

Recall what you learned about the Supreme Court previously.

• Most cases the Supreme Court hears are appeals. The Supreme Court is the highest-level appellate court in the country, so a decision by the Supreme Court is final and cannot be appealed again.

• In addition to appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in disputes between the states or disputes among ambassadors and other high-ranking officials.

• Supreme Court judges are called justices.

Past chief justices of the Supreme Court 👉

​

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about Supreme Court justices is correct?

• Congress set the number of justices at 9 in 1869 and it has stayed the same since.

• Supreme Court justices are elected by popular vote.

• Supreme Court justices serve for a fixed term of years.

• The president can remove a justice at any time.

Multiple Choice

Why are split decisions in the Supreme Court uncommon?

• Most cases are judged by an odd number of justices.

• The large number of justices makes split decisions mathematically unlikely.

• Justices are usually aligned with the president's viewpoints.

• Laws usually provide a clear answer for how justices should rule.

Fill in the Blank

Being appointed to the Supreme Court is a ___ appointment, meaning there is no term of office length.

Multiple Choice

What is a reasonable conclusion based on the information in the chart?

• The Supreme Court will likely have a unanimous decision in most cases.

• The Supreme Court will likely have a split decision in most cases.

• The Supreme Court will likely lean toward views associated with the Democratic Party.

• The Supreme Court will likely lean toward views associated with the Republican Party.

Multiple Choice

Which branch of government does the Supreme Court belong to?

• Legislative

• Executive

• Judicial

• Constitutional