The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US Supreme Court, located in Washington, DC, currently has nine members, although the number of justices has changed over the country\u2019s history. It is the \u201ccourt of last resort\u201d for judicial issues in the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court does not hear every case filed with it. The justices determine which cases to hear through a process called the writ of certiorari<\/a>. If the court declines to hear a case, or reaches a tie, the lower court decision stands. This does not mean the US Supreme Court agrees with the lower court. <\/p>\n\n\n\nJustices serve for life, unless impeached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom Lumen Learning.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may come to the US Supreme Court from the state court system if a federal issue is involved. They also may be appealed from the intermediate federal appellate courts, called Circuit Courts. The court only accepts a tiny fraction<\/a> of the cases it is asked to hear each year. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Justices<\/h4><\/div>\nThe current justices of the Supreme Court are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\nChief Justice John Roberts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Stephen Breyer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Sonia Sotomayor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Elena Kagan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Amy Coney Barrett<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Web Resources<\/h4><\/div>\n\nSupreme Court Homepage<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpinions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFilings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOral Arguments<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nCase Documents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOyez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJustia<\/a> – the primary mission of Justia is to make legal materials and resources free and easy to find on the internet. Through the Justia legal portal, the site provides users with free case law, codes, regulations, consumer-friendly legal articles and question-answer forums, and a lawyer.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLegal Information Institute<\/a> – from Cornell Law School<\/li>\n\n\n\nSCOTUS Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLower Courts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Circuit Courts<\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The intermediate appellate courts, below the US Supreme Court, are known as Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Justices serve for life, unless impeached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom Lumen Learning.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may come to the US Supreme Court from the state court system if a federal issue is involved. They also may be appealed from the intermediate federal appellate courts, called Circuit Courts. The court only accepts a tiny fraction<\/a> of the cases it is asked to hear each year. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Justices<\/h4><\/div>\nThe current justices of the Supreme Court are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\nChief Justice John Roberts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Stephen Breyer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Sonia Sotomayor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Elena Kagan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Amy Coney Barrett<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Web Resources<\/h4><\/div>\n\nSupreme Court Homepage<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpinions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFilings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOral Arguments<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nCase Documents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOyez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJustia<\/a> – the primary mission of Justia is to make legal materials and resources free and easy to find on the internet. Through the Justia legal portal, the site provides users with free case law, codes, regulations, consumer-friendly legal articles and question-answer forums, and a lawyer.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLegal Information Institute<\/a> – from Cornell Law School<\/li>\n\n\n\nSCOTUS Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLower Courts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Circuit Courts<\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The intermediate appellate courts, below the US Supreme Court, are known as Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From Lumen Learning.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may come to the US Supreme Court from the state court system if a federal issue is involved. They also may be appealed from the intermediate federal appellate courts, called Circuit Courts. The court only accepts a tiny fraction<\/a> of the cases it is asked to hear each year. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Justices<\/h4><\/div>\nThe current justices of the Supreme Court are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\nChief Justice John Roberts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Stephen Breyer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Sonia Sotomayor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Elena Kagan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Amy Coney Barrett<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Web Resources<\/h4><\/div>\n\nSupreme Court Homepage<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpinions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFilings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOral Arguments<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nCase Documents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOyez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJustia<\/a> – the primary mission of Justia is to make legal materials and resources free and easy to find on the internet. Through the Justia legal portal, the site provides users with free case law, codes, regulations, consumer-friendly legal articles and question-answer forums, and a lawyer.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLegal Information Institute<\/a> – from Cornell Law School<\/li>\n\n\n\nSCOTUS Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLower Courts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Circuit Courts<\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The intermediate appellate courts, below the US Supreme Court, are known as Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Cases may come to the US Supreme Court from the state court system if a federal issue is involved. They also may be appealed from the intermediate federal appellate courts, called Circuit Courts. The court only accepts a tiny fraction<\/a> of the cases it is asked to hear each year. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Justices<\/h4><\/div>\nThe current justices of the Supreme Court are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\nChief Justice John Roberts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Stephen Breyer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Sonia Sotomayor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Elena Kagan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nAssociate Amy Coney Barrett<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Web Resources<\/h4><\/div>\n\nSupreme Court Homepage<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpinions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFilings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOral Arguments<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nCase Documents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOyez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJustia<\/a> – the primary mission of Justia is to make legal materials and resources free and easy to find on the internet. Through the Justia legal portal, the site provides users with free case law, codes, regulations, consumer-friendly legal articles and question-answer forums, and a lawyer.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLegal Information Institute<\/a> – from Cornell Law School<\/li>\n\n\n\nSCOTUS Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLower Courts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The Circuit Courts<\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The intermediate appellate courts, below the US Supreme Court, are known as Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The current justices of the Supreme Court are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The intermediate appellate courts, below the US Supreme Court, are known as Circuit Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
From USCourts.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Cases may be appealed to a Circuit Court after a District Court has made a final decision. Some cases are first heard by a panel consisting of three judges. In rare cases, the case may then be reviewed by all the judges in the Circuit, called an en banc hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the losing party is unsatisfied with the Circuit Court\u2019s decision, they can appeal to the US Supreme Court, although the US Supreme Court has discretion regarding whether to hear the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special Federal Courts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nBankruptcy Courts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Tax Court<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Federal Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of International Trade<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFederal Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>The District Courts<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\nThe Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Judicial Confirmations<\/h4><\/div>\nThe President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
There are some specialized federal courts that only hear certain types of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Constitution gave Congress the ability to establish other lower courts to help the US Supreme Court handle the judicial case load. The trial courts of the federal court system are known as District Courts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The President nominates potential justices when a vacancy arises on a federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a> reviews the record of the nominee and holds hearings, then votes whether to forward the nominee to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTo research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Databases<\/h4><\/div>\n\nPolitical Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nJSTOR<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nHumanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nOpposing Viewpoints<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nSocial Science Database (ProQuest)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nYou may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The full Senate then debates the nomination, then votes whether to end the debate. If the debate is successfully ended, the Senate votes to confirm. A simple majority is required to confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To research Senate documents, see the tab on the Legislature or visit our Government Documents Guide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
You may also wish to check out our\u00a0Newspapers page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>eBooks<\/h4><\/div>\n\nAdvice & Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary<\/a> – by Sarah A Binder and Forrest Maltzman <\/li>\n\n\n\nAntitrust and the Supreme Court<\/a> – by David Ramsey<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Authentic Constitution: An Originalist View of America’s Legacy<\/a> – by Arthur E Palumbo<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrom Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality<\/a> – by Michael J Klarman<\/li>\n\n\n\nJustin Takes a Recess: Judicial Recess Appointments from George Washington to George W. Bush<\/a> – by Scott E Graves and Robert M Howard<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions<\/a> – by Kermit Roosevelt<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court and McCarthy-Era Repression: One Hundred Decisions<\/a> – by Robert M Lichtman<\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt<\/a> – by William E Leuchtenburg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Confirmation Hearings<\/h4><\/div>\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr. to be Chief Justice of the United States : hearing by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.109-158<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe nomination of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearing by Senate <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Stephen G. Breyer to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-715<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to be associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: Main Campus Library GovDocs MicroficheY 4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.103-482<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nNomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States : hearings by Senate. Call Number: GovDocs PaperY4.J 89\/2:S.HRG.102-1084\/<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nConfirmation hearing on the nomination of Hon. Amy Coney Barrett to be an Association Justice of the Supreme Court: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDisclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Disclaimer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nJudicial Branch - University Libraries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Libraries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Judicial Branch - University Libraries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/accounts\\\/137869\\\/images\\\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/judicial-branch\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Research Tools & Collections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Constitution Day\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/research-tools-collections\\\/guides\\\/constitution-day\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Judicial Branch\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University Libraries\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"University Libraries\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sites.clarkson.edu\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","og_description":"The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","og_site_name":"University Libraries","article_modified_time":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/","name":"Judicial Branch - University Libraries","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-05T14:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-16T19:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/libapps.s3.amazonaws.com\/accounts\/137869\/images\/OSC_AmGov_13_02_Structure.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/judicial-branch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Tools & Collections","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Constitution Day","item":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/research-tools-collections\/guides\/constitution-day\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Judicial Branch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","name":"University Libraries","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#organization","name":"University Libraries","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/02\/800px-Clarkson_Logo-1.png","width":800,"height":291,"caption":"University Libraries"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/author\/aamidon\/","display_name":"Amber"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 5, 2020 10:29 am","modified":"Updated on May 16, 2025 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3087\/revisions\/18317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.clarkson.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical information. It may not contain the most up to date legal information and should not be considered legal advice. For help with up to date legal research email us at refdesk@clarkson.edu. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Judicial Branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies laws in lawsuits or criminal cases, and decides whether laws or governmental actions violate the constitution. Supreme Court Lower Courts Research Resources Disclaimer This guide is intended to give a general overview of the Constitution and our system of government, as well as some historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"parent":3079,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/right-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3087","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n