Profile of a Supreme Court Justice Protestant: 83% Age: 51-60 Male: 108 Female: 4 Party: Same...
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Transcript of Profile of a Supreme Court Justice Protestant: 83% Age: 51-60 Male: 108 Female: 4 Party: Same...
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.