After the election of George Washington as the first President in 1789, Congress passed the first of many laws organizing the government and adopted a bill of rights in the form of ten amendments to the new Constitution—the Bill of Rights. During much of early America, there was no popular vote count in presidential elections.
Washington took action to establish the Executive Branch of the United States Government
The federal government of the United States of America is the body that carries out the roles assigned to the federation of individual states established by the Constitution.
The federal government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch of government is responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. The legislative branch is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. The The judicial branch is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes.
Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the entire federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government .
The Court consists of nine Justices: one Chief Justice of the United States and 8 Associate Justices.
Overview of the Supreme Court
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the judicial branch of the government of the United States, and presides over the U.S. Supreme Court.
The highest judicial officer in the country, the Chief Justice leads the business of the Supreme Court and presides over the Senate during impeachment trials of the President. In modern tradition, the Chief Justice also has the duty of administering the oath of office to the President, but this is not required by the Constitution or any other law. The seventeenth and current Chief Justice is John Roberts, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, and took office on September 29, 2005 upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
And eight Associate Justices
The number of Associate Justices is determined by the United States Congress and is currently eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869. Associate Justices are nominated for service by the President of the United States. Their nominations are then referred to the United States Senate for confirmation. If confirmed then, like other federal judges, they serve for life and can only be removed by death, resignation or impeachment. The current associate justices are (in order of seniority): John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Samuel Alito
The Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. As federal judges, the Justices serve during "good behavior", meaning they essentially serve for life and can be removed only by resignation, or by impeachment and subsequent conviction.
The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress:
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. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.
NOTE: Diversity is not a word that easily equates with the Supreme Court. Of its 110 justices over the past 220 years, all but four have been white males. The exceptions are two African-Americans (Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas) and two women (Sandra Day O'Connor and Ginsburg).
The following are on the short list as possible nominees:
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. A former assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights under Clinton, the 52-year-old Patrick -- an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy -- once worked for the NAACP.
Judge Ann Claire Williams of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Nominated to district court by President Reagan in 1985, she was elevated to her current job by President Clinton. Considered a moderate, the 59-year-old is the third African-American female appeals court judge -- and would be the first African-American woman on the high court.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Named a district court judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, she has been on the appeals bench since 1998. She'd likely have some bipartisan support. The 54-year-old is considered to have moderate-liberal views, and would be the first Hispanic justice on the high court.
California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno.
Leah Ward Sears (born June 13, 1955) is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. She became the first African-American woman to become a superior court judge in 1988. When she was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor Zell Miller in 1992, she was the youngest person to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court. On June 28, 2005 she made history again when she became the first African-American female chief justice anywhere in the United States when she was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born 1953) is the Chief U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was the first African American woman to be sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was also the first African American female elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the 111th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the Judicial Oath in the East Conference Room at the Supreme Court of the United States.
4.9.10 Justice Stevens announced his retirement.
4.12.10 Leah Ward Sears is on Pres. Obama's Short List. Born June 13, 1955 is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. She became the first African-American woman to become a superior court judge in 1988. When she was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor Zell Miller in 1992, she was the youngest person to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court. On June 28, 2005 she made history again when she became the first African-American female chief justice anywhere in the United States when she was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
4.21.10 On the short list is Judge Ann Claire Williams of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Nominated to district court by President Reagan in 1985, she was elevated to her current job by President Clinton. Considered a moderate, the 59-year-old is the third African-American female appeals court judge -- and would be the first African-American woman on the high court.
