Profile of a Supreme Court Justice

Protestant: 83% Age: 51-60 Male: 108 Female: 4 Party: Same as President Salary: $213,900 Chief: $223,500 Education: College Graduate

Supreme Court Justice

Appointed by the President Submitted to the Senate

Judiciary Committee for review and study.

Debated by the Senate Requires approval by 2/3

majority of the Senate for confirmation.

Appointed for life “Presidents come and go but

Supreme Court decisions go on forever.”

Historic Appointments

Thurgood Marshall-1967

Appointed by Lyndon Johnson

NAACP lawyer Brown vs. Board case Autherine Lucy case First African

American appointed to the Supreme Court

Historic Appointments

Sandra Day O’Connor 1982 First female appointed to

the United States Supreme Court

Appointed by Ronald Reagan.

Steps to the Supreme Court

C o u rt H ie ra rchy

U S D is tric t C o u rtsO rig ina l Ju risd ictio n -em p ow e red to m a ke th e f irs t d ec is ion

D e te rm in e g u ilt o r inn o cen ce , w in ne r o r lo serR u le o n the fac ts o f th e ca se

U S C o u rt o f A pp e a lsA p p e lla te Ju risd ictio n -h e a rs case s b ro ug h t on a pp e a l fro m lo w e r co u rt.

L o ok o n ly a t the leg a l is sue s o f th e ca se

U n ited S ta tes S up re m e C o u rtJu d ic ia l R e vie w -de te rm in e if la w s a re con s is ten t w ith th e C o n stitu t ion

A p p e lla te Ju risd ic tion -lis te n to ca ses o n a p p ea l from low e r co u rtsR u le o f 4 -vo te b y ju s tice s to con s ide r a ca se

How many cert petitions are considered?

In recent terms, there have been between 7,000 and 9,000 cases appealed to the Supreme Court each year

Out of approx. 8,000 petitions in the average year,

about 80 are granted (1%)

Paid PetitionsPetitions that pay the $300 filing fee

In forma pauperislitigants who can’t pay the filing fee (often prisoners)

~20% of petitions ~80% of petitions

3-4% granted 0.2% granted

Make up 85-90% of docket

Make up 10-15% of docket

Petitions filed by individuals tend to be heard less

Ranking tends to be:#1 - U.S. government#2 - Corporations#3 - States#4 - Organized groups#5 - Individuals

Supreme Court 2014

Row 1:

Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, John G. Roberts (CJ), Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Row 2:

Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel Anthony Alito, Elena Kagan,

Supreme Court

President Barack Obama introduces Solicitor General Elena Kagan as his choice for Supreme Court Justice in the East Room of the White House in Washington as Vice-President Joe Biden applauds.

United States Supreme CourtJudicial Activism

• The belief that a justice should use his or her position to promote desirable social ends.

• Ex. Death Penalty

Living Constitution• Interpret the Constitution to reflect the

changing beliefs of an evolving society.

Judicial Restraint

• The belief that a justice should defer to the actions of the executive and legislative branch since they are elected. Validate the legislatures.

• "Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire.”

Originalists• Interpreted in the light of its original

meaning.