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The Supreme Court
The
Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Supreme
Court hears cases that have made their way through the court system,
but of the more than 7,500 cases that are sent to the Supreme Court
each year, only about 80 to 100 cases are actually accepted. Once the
Supreme Court makes a decision, it can only be changed by another Supreme
Court decision or by amending (changing) the Constitution. This is a
very important power that can affect the lives of a lot of people. Also,
since the main power of the Supreme Court is to decide cases that challenge
the Constitution, the Court must decide if the case they receive really
challenges the Constitution.
The Supreme Court is made up of nine Justices. One
of these is the Chief Justice. They are appointed by the President and
must be approved by the Senate. Justices have their jobs for life, unless
they resign, retire, or are impeached by the House and convicted by
the Senate (the removal process as described by the Constitution).
There are no requirements in order to be appointed
a Justice, but all have been trained in the law. Many Justices served
as members of Congress, governors, or members of the President's Cabinet.
One president, William Howard Taft, was later appointed Chief Justice.
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