Which branch is headed by the supreme court

Article III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary. Congress first exercised this power in the Judiciary Act of This Act created a Supreme Court with six justices. It also established the lower federal court system. Over the years, various Acts of Congress have altered the number of seats on the Supreme Court, from a low of five to a high of Shortly after the Civil War, the number of seats on the Court was fixed at nine.

Like all federal judges, justices are appointed by the President and are confirmed by the Senate. They, typically, hold office for life.

The salaries of the justices cannot be decreased during their term of office. These restrictions are meant to protect the independence of the judiciary from the political branches of government. The Court has original jurisdiction a case is tried before the Court over certain cases, e. Some examples include cases to which the United States is a party, cases involving Treaties, and cases involving ships on the high seas and navigable waterways admiralty cases.

When exercising its appellate jurisdiction, the Court, with a few exceptions, does not have to hear a case. The Certiorari Act of gives the Court the discretion to decide whether or not to do so. Although they're not officially part of the executive branch, these agencies are required by federal statute to release certain information about their programs and activities in the Federal Register , the daily journal of government activities. The judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution.

It is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish other federal courts to handle cases that involve federal laws including tax and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U.

Other federal judicial agencies and programs support the courts and research judicial policy. Appointments for Supreme Court Justices and other federal judgeships follow the same basic process:. Learn how cases reach the Supreme Court and how the justices make their decisions. Use this lesson plan in class. View a larger version of the infographic. An appeal is a request for a higher court to reverse the decision of a lower court.

Most appeals come from federal courts. They can come from state courts if a case deals with federal law. Dissatisfied parties petition the Court for review Parties may appeal their case to the Supreme Court, petitioning the Court to review the decision of the lower court.

Justices study documents The Justices examine the petition and supporting materials. Justices vote Four Justices must vote in favor for a case to be granted review. Parties make arguments The Justices review the briefs written arguments and hear oral arguments. In oral arguments, each side usually has 30 minutes to present its case. The Justices typically ask many questions during this time. Others have as many as Both senators and representatives are elected by the eligible voters in their states.

The Judicial part of our federal government includes the Supreme Court and 9 Justices. They are special judges who interpret laws according to the Constitution. These justices only hear cases that pertain to issues related to the Constitution. They are the highest court in our country. The federal judicial system also has lower courts located in each state to hear cases involving federal issues. All three parts of our federal government have their main headquarters in the city of Washington D.