Supreme Court

Definition of Supreme Court

Note: See a more comprehensive approach to the Supreme Court legal concept in the American Law Encyclopedia

Highest court in the federal judicial system. The Supreme Court is the only federal court directly established by provision of the judicial article of the U.S. Constitution (Article III). It is principally an appeals court, although it has been assigned original jurisdiction over cases involving ambassadors, consuls, public ministers, and matters where a state is an actual party. The Court exercises appellate jurisdiction “with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.” Appellate jurisdiction has been granted to the Court through various statutes, beginning with the Judiciary (Law of the United States) Act of 1789. Congress has also conferred rule-making authority to the Court, allowing it to oversee the processes used by the lower federal courts. The Court is headed by the chief justice of the United States, who presides over the eight associate justices. The size of the Court is set by Congress and has ranged from as few as five to as many as ten justices. All justices are nominated for life tenure by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

See Also

Appellate Jurisdiction (Law of the United States); Certiorari (Law of the United States); Judicial Review (Law of the United States).

Resources

Supreme Court Related Resources

• Supreme Court in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
• Judicial Organization Keywords in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
• Judicial Organization Keywords in the International Legal Dictionary

Notes

• “Supreme Court”, The American Law Dictionary, 1991, California

Supreme Court

In the Past

The court of the highest jurisdiction in the United States of America, having appellate jurisdiction over all the other courts of the United. States, is so called. Its powers are examined under the article Courts of the United States of America.

Developments

The following list of the judges who have had seats on the bench of this court is given for the purpose of reference. Chief Justices. John Jay, appointed September 26, 1789, resigned in 1795.
John Rutledge, appointed July 1, 1795, resigned in 1796.
Oliver Ellsworth, appointed March 4, 1796, resigned in 1801.
John Marshall, appointed January 31, 1801, died July 6, 1835.
Roger B. Taney, appointed March 15, 1836. Associate Justices.
William Cushing, appointed September 27, 1789, died in 1811.
James Wilson, appoiuted September 29, 1789, died in 1798.
John Blair, appointed September 30, 1789, died in 1796.
James Iredell, appointed February 10, 1790, died in 1799.
Thomas Johnson, appointed November 7, 1791, resigned in 1793.
William Patterson, appointed March 4, 1793, in the place of Judge Johnson, died in 1806.
Samuel Chase, appointed January 7, 1796, in the place of Judge Blair, died in 1811.
Bushrod Washington, appointed December 20,1798, in the place of Judge Wilson, died November 26, 1829.
Alfred Moore, appointed December 10, 1799 in the place of Judge Iredell, resigned in 1864.
William Johnson, appointed March 6, 1804, in the place of Judge Moore, died in 1835.
Brockholst Livingston, appointed November 10, 1806, in the place of Judge Patterson, died in 1823.
Thomas Todd, appointed March 3, 1807, under the act of congress of February, 1807, providing for an additional justice, died in 1826.
Gabriel Duval, appointed November 18, 1811, in the place of Judge Chase, resigned in January 1835.
Joseph Story, appointed November 18, 1811, in the place of Judge Cushing. Smith Thompson, appointed December 9, 1823, in the place of, Judge Livingston, deceased.
Robert Trimble, appointed May 9, 1826, in the place of Judge Todd, died in 1829.
John McLean, appointed March 1829, in the place of Judge Trimble, deceased.
Henry Baldwin, appointed January 1830, in the place of Judge Washington, deceased.
James M. Wayne, appointed January 9, 1835, in the place of Judge Johnson, deceased.
Philip P. Barbour, appointed March 15, 1836, died February 25,1841.
John Catron, appointed March 8, 1837, under the act of congress providing for two additional judges.
John McKinley, appointed September 25, 1837, under the last mentioned act.
Peter V. Daniel, appointed March 3, 1841, in the place of Judge Barbour, deceased.
Samuel Nelson, appointed February 14, 1845, in the place of Judge Thompson, deceased.
Levi Woodbury, appointed September 20, 1845, in the recess of senate, in the place of Judge Story, deceased: his nomination confirmed January 3, 1846.
Robert C. Grier, appointed August 4, 1846, in the place of Judge Baldwin, deceased.
Benj. Robbins Curtis, appointed 1851, in the recess of the senate, in the place of Judge Woodbury, deceased: his nomination confirmed
The present judges of the Supreme Court (see decisions, judges, etc) are, Chief Justice. Roger B. Taney. Associate Justices. John McLean, James M. Wayne, John Catron, John McKinley, Peter V. Daniel, Samuel Nelson, Robert C. Grier and B. Robbins Curtis.

Details

In the several states there are also supreme courts; their powers aud jurisdiction will be found under the names of the several states. [1]

Resources

Notes and References

1. Partialy, this information about supreme court is based on the Bouvier's Law Dictionary, 1848 edition. There is a list of terms of the Bouvier's Law Dictionary, including supreme court.

See Also

Supreme Court

In the Past

Supreme Court (see decisions, judges, etc) is the name of a court having jurisdiction over all other courts Vide Courts of the United States of America. [1]

Resources

Notes and References

1. Partialy, this information about court is based on the Bouvier's Law Dictionary, 1848 edition. There is a list of terms of the Bouvier's Law Dictionary, including court.

See Also

Supreme Court (Judicial Organization)

Meaning of Supreme Court

This is a brief definition of supreme court, a term used, in general, in the field of procedural law within the United States: In Washington, the highest court.

Resources

See Also

• Court, Supreme