The Supreme Court Building

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STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1

NCSS: Time, Continuity, and Change • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Power, Authority, and Governance • Civic Ideals and Practices

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CIVICS

Your Guide to the Supreme Court

Click here to take a Prereading Quiz before you read this article.

The U.S. Supreme Court is back in session! On October 3, the nation’s highest court starts a new term. (Its sessions begin on the first Monday in October and usually wrap up in June.) 

The Supreme Court heads the judicial branch of the U.S. government. It is made up of nine justices and hears about 75 cases each term. Together, the justices determine whether laws and actions of the government follow the rules spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. All lower courts must follow the justices’ decisions.

This past summer, the Court delivered high-profile rulings on gun rights, environmental regulations, and other important issues. It already has more than 25 cases lined up for the 2022-2023 session, including whether state lawmakers should control election procedures.

Here’s what you need to know about the Court.

Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson); Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Sotomayor, Kagan, Roberts, Thomas, Alito); Franz Jantzen, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Gorsuch)

(top row, from left) John G. Roberts Jr., Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr.; (middle row) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch; (bottom row) Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson

Who are the justices?

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. leads the Court, which also has eight associate justices. The justices were all nominated by a president and confirmed by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate. 

How long do justices serve?

SOURCE: Pew Research Center, 2017

They don’t have term limits, so justices usually stay on the bench until they retire or die. This graph shows how many years that tends to be.

LENGTH OF SERVICE BY JUSTICE'S AGE AT OATH

Age at oath: under 45
Average years served: 21.6

Age at oath: 45 to 49
Average years served: 19.4

Age at oath: 50 to 54
Average years served: 18.6

Age at oath: 55 to 59
Average years served: 14.6

Age at oath: 60+
Average years served: 11.7

What is the Court’s process? 

1. Lawyers for each side argue a case and answer questions from the justices.

2. The justices meet privately to discuss the case and take an informal vote. 

3. A justice on the majority side writes the opinion explaining the decision. A justice on the minority side writes an opposing opinion, called a dissent.

4. The opinions are released. The majority opinion sets the standard for the country.

Bob Schutz/AP Images (Marshall); Steve Northup/Getty Images (O’Connor)

Thurgood Marshall (left); Sandra Day O’Connor (right)

How has representation on the Court changed?

For nearly 180 years, the justices were all White men. In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first Black justice. In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice. 

Today, the Court is the most diverse it has ever been. Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black female justice this past June. She serves alongside Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice, and Clarence Thomas, the second Black male justice. 

In addition, four of the nine justices are now women—the most ever on the Court at one time. 

116

Number of people who have served as justices since the Supreme Court first began meeting in 1790

SOURCE: U.S. Supreme Court

Are all of the Court’s decisions final?

Not necessarily. For example, Congress can overturn a Court ruling by proposing a change to the Constitution. Such an amendment would need approval from at least 38 state legislatures to take effect. The Court can also reverse its decisions. 

SKILL SPOTLIGHT: Interpreting Visual Data

CONFIDENCE IN THE COURT TRACKER

This line graph shows the percentage of Americans with “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the Supreme Court over time. When was Americans’ confidence in the Court the highest? The lowest? What conclusions can you draw from the data?

SOURCE: Gallup

Year: 1985
Percentage of Americans: 56%

Year: 1986
Percentage of Americans: 54%

Year: 1987
Percentage of Americans: 52%

Year: 1988
Percentage of Americans: 56%

Year: 1989
Percentage of Americans: 46%

Year: 1990
Percentage of Americans: 47%

Year: 1991
Percentage of Americans: 48%

Year: 1992
Percentage of Americans: 39%

Year: 1993
Percentage of Americans: 44%

Year: 1994
Percentage of Americans: 42%

Year: 1995
Percentage of Americans: 44%

Year: 1996
Percentage of Americans: 45%

Year: 1997
Percentage of Americans: 50%

Year: 1998
Percentage of Americans: 50%

Year: 1999
Percentage of Americans: 49%

Year: 2000
Percentage of Americans: 47%

Year: 2001
Percentage of Americans: 50%

Year: 2002
Percentage of Americans: 50%

Year: 2003
Percentage of Americans: 47%

Year: 2004
Percentage of Americans: 46%

Year: 2005
Percentage of Americans: 41%

Year: 2006
Percentage of Americans: 40%

Year: 2007
Percentage of Americans: 34%

Year: 2008
Percentage of Americans: 32%

Year: 2009
Percentage of Americans: 39%

Year: 2010
Percentage of Americans: 36%

Year: 2011
Percentage of Americans: 37%

Year: 2012
Percentage of Americans: 37%

Year: 2013
Percentage of Americans: 34%

Year: 2014
Percentage of Americans: 30%

Year: 2015
Percentage of Americans: 32%

Year: 2016
Percentage of Americans: 36%

Year: 2017
Percentage of Americans: 40%

Year: 2018
Percentage of Americans: 37%

Year: 2019
Percentage of Americans: 38%

Year: 2020
Percentage of Americans: 40%

Year: 2021
Percentage of Americans: 36%

Year: 2022
Percentage of Americans: 25%

Words to Know

amendment: a change or addition to a law or document

Constitution: the official document that outlines the structure, powers, and duties of the U.S. government

judicial branch: the branch of government responsible for dealing with all cases of law

opinion: a formal statement that explains the reasoning behind a court decision 

Senate: one of the two chambers of the U.S. Congress

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