Process Essay: Landmark Decisions Of The Supreme Court

Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court Since the late 1700s, the Supreme Court has been operating as the highest federal court in the United States of America. “Defined by Article III, Section I of the Constitution, the Supreme Court operates under nine Justices, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Each Justice holds office for life as long as they are well behaved,” (“Supreme Court Procedures”) The Supreme Court functions by deciding what case to choose, listening to oral arguments, then reaching a decision on each case. The first step during a Supreme Court’s term, which begins on the first Monday of October and is in recess around the middle of June and July, is to review each case submitted and decide …show more content…
The petitioner of each case writes a brief (less than 50 page) review about the case’s issue granted for review, and if a group who is not involved with the case directly has an interest in it, an amicus curiae (meaning “friends of the court”) may be filed to provide arguments of their own and recommend case decisions. From October through April, oral arguments are presented to the Supreme Court in two-week sessions during each month. “The week of oral argument is the crucial time for most cases, the justices say,” (Savage, 2010, p. 982). Oral argument sessions are open to the public and are heard at the beginning of each designated day starting at 10 a.m. After the Court is seated, the Chief Justice acknowledges counsel for the petitioner, who already is standing at the podium. The attorney then begins: “Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the Court…” (“Supreme Court Procedures”) Each case spends an hour presenting the legal case to the Justices, which is usually 30 minutes for each side of the case. Because Justices read the briefs beforehand, most time is spent answering any questions the Justices may