In a petition for a writ of certiorari, a party asks the Court to review its case. The Certiorari Act of 1925 gives the Court the discretion to decide whether or not to do so. When exercising its appellate jurisdiction, the Court, with a few exceptions, does not have to hear a case. 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). The Court has appellate jurisdiction (the Court can hear the case on appeal) on almost any other case that involves a point of constitutional and/or federal law. The Court has original jurisdiction (a case is tried before the Court) over certain cases, e.g., suits between two or more states and/or cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers. These restrictions are meant to protect the independence of the judiciary from the political branches of government.Īrticle III, Section II of the Constitution establishes the jurisdiction (legal ability to hear a case) of the Supreme Court.
The salaries of the justices cannot be decreased during their term of office. Like all federal judges, justices are appointed by the President and are confirmed by the Senate. Today, there is one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Shortly after the Civil War, the number of seats on the Court was fixed at nine. 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 10. It also established the lower federal court system. This Act created a Supreme Court with six justices. Congress first exercised this power in the Judiciary Act of 1789.
Article III, Section I 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." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it.
Proposed Changes to Code and JC&D RulesĪrticle III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary.Confidentiality Regulations for Pretrial Services Information.Privacy Policy for Electronic Case Files.Special Projects of the Rules Committees.Preliminary Drafts of Proposed Rule Amendments.Congressional and Supreme Court Rules Packages.Permitted Changes to Official Bankruptcy Forms.Open Meetings and Hearings of the Rules Committee.How to Submit Input on a Pending Proposal.How to Suggest a Change to Federal Court Rules and Forms.Laws and Procedures Governing the Work of the Rules Committees.Proposed Amendments Published for Public Comment.Pending Changes in the Bankruptcy Forms.Long Range Plan for Information Technology.Judiciary Conferences That Cost More Than $100,000.Journalist’s Guide to the Federal Courts.Statistical Tables for the Federal Judiciary.Electronic Public Access Public User Group.Transfer of Excess Judiciary Personal Property.National Court Interpreter Database (NCID) Gateway.Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination.Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation Fees.Archives of the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability.FAQs: Filing a Judicial Conduct or Disability Complaint Against a Federal Judge.Roadways to the Federal Bench: Who Me? A Bankruptcy or Magistrate Judge?.Chronological History of Authorized Judgeships - District Courts.