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The Supreme Court of the United States consists of nine justices appointed for life by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. (See Figure 2. ) One justice is appointed as the Chief Justice and has additional administrative duties related both to the Supreme Court and to the entire federal court system. Each justice is assigned to one of the courts of appeals for emergency responses.
The Supreme Court meets on the first Monday of October each year and usually continues in session through June. The Supreme Court receives and disposes of about 5,000 cases each year, most by a brief decision that the subject matter is either not proper or not of sufficient importance to warrant review by the full court. Cases are heard en banc, which means by all the justices sitting together in open court. Each year the court decides about 150 cases of great national importance and interest, and about three-fourths of such decisions are announced in full published opinions.
The Supreme Court is located across the street from the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
The mailing address for the Court is One First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20543
The Supreme Court of the United States
There are nine justices: one Chief Justice and eight associate justices.
Chief Justice of the United States:
William H. Rehnquist, entered on duty September 26, 1986
Associate Justices:
John Paul Stevens
Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia
Anthony M. Kennedy
David H. Souter
Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen G. Breyer
Retired Associate Justices
Byron R. White
Harry A. Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
Additional information on the Supreme Court Justices is available, courtesy of Cornell University Law School.
