Supreme Court of the United States

The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the United States federal judiciary. It has final appellate authority over all federal court matters in the United States and state court decisions involving a federal law issue. Additionally, it has original jurisdiction over a limited number of disputes, including "all Cases involving Ambassadors, other public Ministers, and Consuls, and those to which a State is a Party." In addition, it may invalidate presidential instructions that violate the Constitution or statutory law. However, it can only intervene within the context of a case within its area of authority. The court may resolve cases with political implications, but it has concluded that it lacks authority over non-justiciable political issues.

The composition and processes of the Supreme Court were first created by the 1st Congress via the Judiciary Act of 1789, per Article Three of the United States Constitution. According to the Judiciary Act of 1869, the court is composed of the chief justice and eight associate judges. Each justice has lifelong tenure, which means they serve until death, retirement, resignation, or removal from office. When a vacancy arises, the president chooses a new justice with the advice and agreement of the Senate. In determining the matters debated before the court, each judge gets a single vote. When in the majority, the chief justice determines who writes the court's decision; otherwise, the senior-most judge in the majority distributes the responsibility.

The court meets at Washington, D.C.'s Supreme Court Building.