SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court comprises the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress. By the Act of June 25, 1948 (28 U. S. C. §1), Congress established the number of Associate Justices as eight. Power to nominate the Justices is vested in the President of the United States, and appoint-ments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate. Article III, §1, of the Constitution further provides that -[t]he Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, re-ceive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.
Constitutional Origin. Article
III, §1, of the Constitution provides that - [t]he judi-cial
Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court,
and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time
ordain and establish.? The Supreme Court of the United States was
created in accordance with this provision and by authority of the
Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73). It was organized
on February 2, 1790.
Jurisdiction. According
to the Constitution (Art. III, §2): - The judicial Power
shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this
Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made,
or which shall be made, under their Authority;- to all Cases
affecting Ambassadors, other public Minis-ters and Consuls;?to
all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;- to Contro-versies
to which the United States shall be a Party;?to Controversies
between two or more States;- between a State and Citizens of
another State;- between Citizens of dif-ferent States;- between
Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different
States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign
States, Citizens or Subjects.
In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public ministers and Consuls, and
those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original
Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court
shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions,
and under such Regulations as the Con-gress shall make.
Appellate jurisdiction has been conferred upon the Supreme Court by various
statutes, under the authority given Congress by the Constitution. The basic
statute effective at this time in conferring and controlling jurisdiction
of the Supreme Court may be found in 28 U. S. C. §1251 et seq., and
various special statutes.
Rulemaking Power. Congress
has from time to time conferred upon the Supreme Court power to prescribe
rules of procedure to be followed by the lower courts of the United
States. See 28 U. S. C. §2071 et seq.
The Building. The
Supreme Court is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and the
federal legal holi-days listed in 5 U. S. C. §6103. Unless
the Court or the Chief Justice orders otherwise, the Clerk? s
Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except on those holidays. The Library is open to members of the
Bar of the Court, attorneys for the various federal departments
and agencies, and Members of Congress.
The Term. The
Term of the Court begins, by law, on the first Monday in October
and lasts until the first Monday in October of the next year.
Approximately 7,000 peti-tions are filed with the Court in the
course of a Term. In addition, some 1,200 applications of various
kinds are filed each year that can be acted upon by a single
Justice. to top
