The courts
Supreme Court
The only court the Constitution itself creates. Nine Justices, life tenure, and near-total control over which cases they hear.
In full
The Court takes roughly 60 to 70 cases a year out of several thousand petitions, chosen mostly because lower courts disagree or a federal law's validity is at stake. It has original jurisdiction in a narrow set of cases, such as disputes between states, and appellate jurisdiction over everything else, which Congress can adjust by statute. Its decisions bind every other court in the country.
Also written as: SCOTUS
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.