Supreme Court of the United States - FAQs

Selection of Justices

• Nomination Process:
  • President nominates a candidate.
  • Senate confirms nominee with a simple majority.
  • Both Executive and Legislative Branches participate.

Qualifications for Justices

• No Specific Requirements:
  • No age, education, profession, or citizenship qualifications.
  • Not required to be a lawyer or law school graduate.
• Historical Examples:
  • James F. Byrnes (1941-1942) taught himself law.
  • Robert H. Jackson studied law without attending undergraduate college.

Chief Justice Selection

• Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
• Not always a former Associate Justice.
• Examples of elevation from Associate Justice:
  • Edward Douglas White, Harlan Fiske Stone, William H. Rehnquist.
• Examples with break in service:
  • John Rutledge, Charles Evans Hughes.

Term of Service

• Justices hold office "during good Behaviour."
• Can only be removed by impeachment.

Impeachment

• Only Justice impeached: Samuel Chase (1805).
• Acquitted by the Senate.

Number of Justices

• Determined by Congress.
• Initially six Justices in 1789.
• Judiciary Act of 1869 set number to nine.

Responsibilities Beyond Cases

• Handle emergency applications from federal circuits.
• May set bond, halt deportations, or stays of execution.

Quorum

• Six Justices needed to decide a case.
• Justices can participate via audio recordings and transcripts.

Caseload

• Approximately 7,000-8,000 petitions per term.
• Court hears oral arguments in about 80 cases.

Historical Meetings and Locations

• First met on February 2, 1790, in New York City.
• First members: John Jay, James Wilson, William Cushing, John Blair, John Rutledge, and James Iredell.
• Initially met in Exchange Building, New York City.
• Moved to Philadelphia (1791-1800) and then Washington D.C.
• Current building opened October 7, 1935.

Supreme Court Building

• Architect: Cass Gilbert.
• Famous for designing Woolworth Building, Minnesota and West Virginia State Capitols.