Your Supreme Court

Congress’s role in selecting a Supreme Court justice…

The president’s nominee must answer questions in front of a Senate committeeand it is televised on C-Span.

The entire Senate votes to either approve or

reject the nominee.

Your 2015 Supreme Court

Justices…

Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy

Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan

Clarence Thomas Stephen Breyer

George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Samuel Alito, Jr.

Bill Clinton George W. Bush

Elena Kagan Sonia Sotomayor

Barack Obama Barack Obama

Chief Justice - John Roberts

George W. Bush

How they select the cases they hear.

1. Work begins the first Monday in October andgoes for 9 months

2. Each justice has 4 law clerks to help them.

3. Cver 7,000 requestseach year from lower courts to “please look at my case”

4. The justices shortenthat list

5. The justices usuallyselect 75 to 85 cases.

6. The justices pick casesthat have nationalImportance or wouldaffect the average American

In October, the justices discuss potential cases in this

room…then they vote out loud, one at a time by

seniority, on the final set of cases they will accept.

5 to 10 cases are heard each month

Attorneys go to the U.S. Supreme Court building to argue their side of the case.

Each attorney get 30 minutes to make their “case” in front of the 9 justices. The justices ask questions.

This is the

room

where

attorneys

argue their

case to the

9 Justices.

Visitors are

welcome

After the 9 justices “hear” both sides of a case, they discuss it .

Sometimes they meet in person, but more often, they exchange emails.

After all 9 justices vote on a case,

the “MAJORITY” is the winning side

The most senior justice of the “winning”

side is assigned the task of writing the

MAJORITY OPINION .

All the justices who voted in the majority read this opinion and agree on

the explanation

when those justices don’t agree with what is written

the writer has to re-write it.

The side that loses is the “MINORITY”.

The most senior justice on the losing minority side has to write their explanation

all those justices have to agree or it has to be re-written.

So…..

2 written opinions are given to the public for every case they decide….

MAJORITY & MINORITY

This way the court presents both sides of their arguments to the public.

In May, the justices STOPhearing new cases.

They finish their work in June and leave for the summer, to return in October for

another year’s worth of work.

Decisions made in 2014-15

• Death Penalty

•

• Lethal injection

The court ruled that the use of midazolam, a sedative linked to botched executions, may be used to carry out death sentences without

violating the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Representation in the Congress

Congressional boundaries

The court found that voter-approved independent commissions have the authority to redraw congressional boundaries

Same-sex marriage The court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States. The court's ruling means that 14 states in the South and Midwest will have to stop enforcing their bans on same-sex marriage.

HEALTH INSURANCE

The AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

On June 25, 2015, the Supreme Court held that tax credits authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) are available to individuals who purchase

insurance through a federal exchange.

Fill in the Federal Court system

map of Federal District Courts

The U.S. also has 50 state courts

This is the Washington State Court system

WASHINGTON SUPREME COURT

COURT OF APPEALS

SUPERIOR COURT· Civil matters

· Domestic relations· Felony crimes

· Juvenile matters· Appeals from courts of limited jurisdiction

DISTRICT and MUNICIPAL COURTS· Misdemeanor crimes

· Traffic, non-traffic, and parking infractions· Domestic violence protection orders

· Civil actions of $50,000 or lessSmall Claims