Title: Judicial Branch - Student Center | Britannica.com
Headings: Judicial Branch
Judicial Branch
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Judicial independence
Judiciary Act of 1789
Supreme Court ​
Certiorari
Lower Courts​
U.S. Courts of Appeals
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. District Courts
Supreme Court Justices​
According to the Constitution, appointments to the Supreme Court are made by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, though presidents have rarely consulted the Senate before making a nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee ordinarily conducts hearings on nominations to the Supreme Court, and a simple majority of the full Senate is required for confirmation. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed for life terms, though they may be expelled if they are impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted in the Senate.​
Chief justice
John Marshall
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Louis Brandeis
Charles Evans Hughes
Sandra Day O’Connor
Earl Warren
Why Are There Nine Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Select Cases of the Supreme Court​
Because the Constitution is vague and ambiguous in many places, it is often possible for critics to fault the Supreme Court for misinterpreting it. Among the most important doctrinal sources used by the Supreme Court have been the commerce, due-process, and equal-protection clauses of the Constitution. It also has often ruled on controversies involving civil liberties, including freedom of speech and the right of privacy. Much of its work consists of clarifying, refining, and testing the Constitution’s philosophic ideals and translating them into working principles. On divisive issues such as abortion, affirmative action, school prayer, and flag burning, the Court’s decisions have aroused considerable opposition and controversy, with opponents sometimes seeking constitutional amendments to overturn the Court’s decisions.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Roe v. Wade
Dred Scott Decision
Marbury v. Madison
Brown v. Board of Education
Plessy v. Ferguson​

Content: When the office is occupied by a person of extraordinary intellectual capacity and dynamic personality, the chief justice may exert a great influence on the Court’s work. John Marshall
As perhaps the Supreme Court’s most influential chief justice, John Marshall, the fourth chief justice (1801–35), was responsible for constructing and defending both the foundation of judicial power and the principles of American federalism. In Marbury v. Madison (1803), he established the Supreme Court’s right to exercise judicial review by declaring laws unconstitutional. His defense of federalism was articulated in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), which upheld the authority of Congress to create the Bank of the United States. Read more
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Justice Oliver Wendell Homes, Jr., served on the Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932 and is considered one of the ablest jurists of his age. He was an advocate of judicial restraint and argued that the concept of “clear and present danger” was the only basis for limiting the right of freedom of speech. Read more
Louis Brandeis
The Supreme Court’s first Jewish justice, Louis Brandeis believed that, to preserve federalism, state legislatures had to be able to make laws suited to varied and changing needs, but he wished to restrict state laws when they interfered with the freedom to express ideas. Read more
Charles Evans Hughes
Having served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court (1910–16) and as secretary of state (1921–25), Charles Evans Hughes became the 11th chief justice of the United States in 1930 and served in that capacity until 1941. As chief justice he led the Supreme Court through the great controversy arising over the New Deal legislation of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.