Supreme Court

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Grand Canyon University *

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310

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Political Science

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Jun 1, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by Raquel0928

10 Facts about the Supreme Court 1.) The Supreme Court sat for the first time in its own building on October 7, 1935. It had opened for visitors during the summer of 1935. Charles Evans Hughes was Chief Justice. 2.) The first meeting of the Supreme Court was scheduled to take place in New York City on Monday, February 1, 1790, but the lack of a quorum (only three of the six Justices were present) delayed the official opening until the following day, Tuesday, February 2, 1790. 3.) The only Justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805. The House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against him; however, he was acquitted by the Senate. 4.) The Constitution states that Justices "shall hold their Offices during good Behavior." This means that the Justices hold office as long as they choose and can only be removed from office by impeachment. 5.) A quorum of six Justices is required to decide a case. Justices may also participate in a case by listening to audio recordings of the oral arguments and reading the transcripts. 6.) The Court receives approximately 7,000-8,000 petitions for a writ of certiorari each Term. The Court grants and hears oral argument in about 80 cases. 7.) Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991) was the first African American Supreme Court Justice. 8.) The shortest serving Chief Justice was John Rutledge who was appointed under a temporary commission because the Senate was in recess. He served for 5 months and 14 days before the Senate reconvened and rejected his nomination. 9.) The oldest person to serve as a Supreme Court Justice was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., (1902-1932) who was 90 when he retired from the Court. 10.)Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006) was the first woman to serve as Supreme Court Justice.
Based on the article, the Supreme Court works by listen to oral arguments and then proceeds to make decisions on the cases by adhering to their values and beliefs, equal justice under laws. The Supreme Court’s overall task is to interpret the meaning of laws, helping to decide on how a law should be applied or if it can be deemed relevant in relation to a specific set of facts. Because of this, the Supreme Court is known as the “guardian and interpreter of the Constitution”(The Court and Its Procedures - Supreme Court of the United States). To begin, there are a number of procedures that the Supreme Court follows when addressing and reviewing cases. The court begins by accepting cases at the start of October and reviews them, as well as all incoming cases until late June or early July. During this time, the court separates the term “sittings”, when the Justices hear cases and deliver opinions, and intervening "recesses," when they consider the business before the Court and write opinions. Sittings and recesses alternate at approximately two-week intervals”(The Court and Its Procedures - Supreme Court of the United States). Each side is then allowed to give their opinions and argument during the hearing. During this time, the Supreme Court creates their own opinions revolving around the case so that they may cast the final judgment and come to a ruling. The same process is followed over and over for upcoming cases until the end of term. After their term has come to a close, they use the summer to continue analyzing any new potions for review. Thus preparing for their fall case load. As of now, the Supreme Court can be seen as more conservative rather than liberal. Additionally, the Supreme court will decide to take on a case if they feel that the case consisted of a Constitutional issue. Since the Supreme Courts main focus is equal justice under laws, they must decide whether they feel they can help add a sense justice by reviewing and adhering to laws. In order for a case to be reviewed, four of the nine Justices must vote to accept a case. After the case is accepted, they are to be granted full review with oral arguments by attorneys. Moreover, the article goes on to explain that approximately 7,000 to 8,0000 cases are filed and asked to be reviewed every term by the Supreme Court. However, of those 8,0000 cases, only about 80 of the cases will be further examined and brought into review. And approximately 100 cases are disposed of, meaning that they do not make it past the plenary review stage. This is commonly referred to as the Supreme Court drafting process. Based on the reading, all Supreme Court case oral arguments are open to the public, however, seating is very limited. This means that all seating arrangements are available on a first-come, first- served bases. With this being said, a person would be allowed to sit in on any oral argument which the Supreme Court is holding as long as they join the line at the plaza in front of the building at approximately 9:30 a.m. so that a police officer may escort them to the court room where they will be seated. Word count: 544 Work cited The Court and Its Procedures - Supreme Court of the United States. www.supremecourt.gov/about/procedures.aspx. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022 .
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