The Supreme Court of the United States

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    On June 30th, 2022, the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as an Associate Justice of  the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). She is making history as the first Black woman to serve on the Court. Justice Jackson, now the 104th Associate Justice of SCOTUS, joins a long list of Justices before her who carry the duty of hearing and making decisions on cases as the highest court in the Judicial Branch.


As a major part of the Judiciary Branch, the Supreme Court has a rich history and has a great responsibility. As SCOTUS is being mentioned more in the media, it's crucial to understand what exactly the Court does, how Justices are picked, and how to access their decisions.

History of SCOTUS

The beginning of the Supreme Court goes back to the nation's founding years. Article III of the Constitution sets the federal court system. It states that:

"The judicial Power of the United States shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."

While the Constitution established the Supreme Court, it's "exact powers and prerogatives" weren't elaborated, which means how the Court would work wasn't ever specified. In response, Congress's first bill was the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established 13 judicial districts and the location of the Supreme Court. The first several sessions of the Court were focused on organizational proceedings, and its first case wasn't until August 3, 1791. Their first opinion was on the case of West v. Barnes. 


Justices of the Supreme Court are each appointed by the President, and they have to be approved by the Senate. Justices serve on "good Behaviour," which is a life term. The Court's traditions have remained intact, from their black robes to quill pens being in the Courtroom. 

Role of SCOTUS

Every year, SCOTUS is sent around 7,000 cases to be reviewed, yet they only hear around 100 a year. They're given the ability to decide on whether to hear a case or not via the Certiorari Act of 1925. The Court has 3 roles:

  1. "Last resort for those looking for justice"
  2. "Ensures each branch of government recognizes the limits of its own power" through judicial review
  3. "Protects civil rights and liberties by striking down laws that violate the Constitution"
The "best-known power of the Supreme Court" is considered to be the second role mentioned, judicial review. Judicial review is the "ability of the Court to declare a Legislative or Executive act in violation of the Constitution." 

SCOTUS Justices


    The role of being a Supreme Court Justice is one of honor and dignity. Currently, there are nine Justices with one being the Chief Justice and the other eight as Associate Justices. They are named below:

  1. John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice (2005-Present)
  2. Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice (1991-Present)
  3. Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice (2006-Present)
  4. Sonia Stomomayor, Associate Justice (2009-Present)
  5. Elena kagan, Associate Justice (2010-Present)
  6. Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice (2017-Present)
  7. Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice (2018-Present)
  8. Amy Coney Barret, Associate Justice (2020-Present)
  9. Kentaji Brown Jackson, Associate Justice (2022-Present)
Each Justice is nominated by the President when there is a vacancy on the Court. Once nominated, the Senate goes through a lengthy hearing process with the nominee, resulting in a vote. A simple majority in the Senate must be reached before approving the future Justice. They hold office as for up to a life term, unless they are removed by impeachment. The only Justice to have ever been impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase, but he was acquitted by the Senate in 1805. 

The number of Justices has changed a number of times. While it was set in the first Judiciary Act of 1780 to have six Justices, it has changed over time through different acts that Congress has passed. The Court has had up to 10 Justices at a time. 

To learn more about the past Justices, visit supremecourt.gov. 

Access Decisions

The Supreme Court hears and makes opinions on various important cases, and the details are available for anyone to view. The Supreme Court website offers the following:
  • Opinions of the Court
    • The Court releases "slip" opinions, which has the majority opinion, any dissenting or concurring opinions, and a decision summary.
  • Argument Transcripts
    • Provided by the Heritage Reporting Corporation,  oral argument transcripts by SCOTUS are available. 
  • Case Dockets
    • Case dockets have information about pending and decided cases that have been filed at the Court.
  •  Media Sources
    • Any media files, including audio and video, are available for when they are cited in an opinion.
Another great resource to access is Oyez, a "free project from Cornell's Legal Information Institute, Justia, and Chicago-Kent College of Law." It offers transcripts, audios, case summaries, and full-text Court opinions. 



OSU Resources

The OSU Library has a variety of resources regarding the Supreme Court. It holds nomination hearings, some slip opinions, and the United States Reports, which are Supreme Court opinions. It also offers the Westlaw Next database to access the Supreme Court cases online.

Patrons are welcome to visit the Government Documents department with any questions on how to find any of these resources. 

Other Resources

The Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the hisotry of the Supreme Court. 

Learn more about the Judicial Branch and its roles and relation to the Executive Branch. 

This Committee is in charge of approving all Justice nominations, and any other hearings regarding the federal judiciary. 

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Eager to know more? Start here.

Government Information Online is produced by the staff at the Oklahoma State University Libraries Government Documents Department, a regional depository for U.S. Government and Oklahoma state government documents. We are located on the 5th floor of the Edmon Low Library. Our department website can be reached at www.info.library.okstate.edu/government-documents. For more information or for research assistance, contact us at 405.744.6546. or email suzanne.reinman@okstate.edu.



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