Supreme Court of the United States

Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. Established pursuant to Article III of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, it has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal and state court cases that involve a point of federal law.

History

The Court's first sessions were held in the Royal Exchange in New York City. The Court was initially composed of a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices. Congress increased the number of justices to seven in 1807, to nine in 1837, and to ten in 1863. However, in 1866 at the behest of Chief Justice Chase, Congress passed an act providing that the next three justices to retire would not be replaced, which would thin the bench to seven justices by attrition. Consequently, one seat was removed in 1866 and a second in 1867. In 1869, the Judiciary Act of 1869 was passed, setting the number at nine, where it has remained since.

Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court is the only court specifically established by the Constitution of the United States, implemented in 1789; under the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Court was to be composed of six members—though the number of justices has been nine for most of its history, this number is set by Congress, not the Constitution. The court meets in the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

Current Justices

As of 2021, the Supreme Court Justices are:

• Chief Justice John Roberts
• Associate Justice Clarence Thomas
• Associate Justice Stephen Breyer
• Associate Justice Samuel Alito
• Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor
• Associate Justice Elena Kagan
• Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch
• Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh
• Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett

See Also

• List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
• History of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Procedures of the Supreme Court of the United States