Chap. 7**,** Lesson 3 – “The Supreme Court”
A. Jurisdiction and Organization
Main job -- Power of judicial review --> Final authority: 1) interpreting the
meaning of the Constitution; 2) determine whether laws, treaties, etc. are constitutional.
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c) main duties -- to select, hear, decide appealed cases; issue written opinions.
b) presidents choose justices with likelihood of Senate confirmation;
c) they're always lawyers;
d) some have taught law, served as judges, or held other public positions;
e) nominees often support the president’s party, but follow their own consciences and understanding of the law once appointed.
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Leg./Exec branches -- obey Court rulings. Independent judiciary – The Court is not elected, so it’s not
involved in politics, so it’s free from the influence of special-interest groups; it will more likely give cases a
fair hearing.
exercise its power of judicial review.”
Meaning: a) Supreme Court has the final authority to nullify, or cancel, unconstitutional laws, leg. /exec. actions; b) judicial review --> a check against the other two branches.
a) the Court depends on federal, state, and local executive branches to enforce their rulings;
b) new laws/Constitutional amendments can get around court rulings;
c) the Court only rules on challenges to laws or actions brought to it and only if it involves a
federal question;
d) the Court traditionally stays out of political arguments better left to the other two branches.
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Sessions – first Monday in October to June; “Recess” – new cases are studied and other paper
work is done in between sessions – it's not a vacation!
a) Is it an important Constitutional question, e.g. free speech?;
b) Is it a legal (law-related) and not a political issue?;
c) Does this issue affect the entire nation, not just a couple of individuals?
d) Are there two opposing sides? (Cases fitting these criteria are granted a “writ of certiorari” (sir-she-a-
RAH-ree), meaning a written request for its lower court records.)
a) written arguments received – in the form of briefs, summaries of both sides' positions;
b) oral arguments – 30 minutes per side; argue with the justices, answer questions;
c) justice conference – Fridays; justices have secret meetings; debate and vote on cases; at least six
justices needed to decide a case;
d) opinion writing – majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions (see previous notes). Unanimous
opinions, which are rare, mean all the justices agree;
e) announcement – announcements of rulings/majority opinions become precedents and law followed by
all lower courts and governments.
a) legal precedents from previous cases are often followed, making the law predictable;
b) social conditions change – as public ideas and attitudes and technology change, Court decisions
are influenced. (Example – Plessy v. Ferguson established the “separate but equal” doctrine in 1896
for the next 58 years, but by the 1950s, views on racial segregation changed due to blacks fighting and
dying in WWII. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education overturned Plessy, ending segregation in
schools);
c) differing legal views – some feel differently about how involved the Court should be in promoting new
ideas or policies by making certain rulings (often called “legislating from the bench”); justices’ legal
philosophies may vary as well.
d) personal beliefs – no matter how objective a justice tries to be, his/her personal beliefs will get involved
at times.