Supreme Court of the United States

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A person ascends the steps of the west facade of the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., with its tall columns and a round fountain in the foreground.

Interior view of the U.S. Supreme Court courtroom in Washington, D.C., showing empty justices' chairs behind a bench, marble columns, red curtains, and a clock above.

The nine United States Supreme Court justices pose in black robes for their official portrait, with five seated in front and four standing behind against a red curtain backdrop.

The main entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court building

Current Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court

Old Supreme Court Chamber

Old Senate Chamber

U.S. Supreme Court in 1962

Diagram showing the structure of the United States court system, with federal courts on the left-U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court-and state courts on the right-State Trial Courts, Intermediate Appellate Courts, and State Supreme Courts. Arrows indicate the path of appeals, with both federal and state systems leading to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Supreme Court in 2009

At a Glance

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Supreme Court of the United States summary

Supreme Court of the United States: Media

highest court, United States

Videos

Unpacking the role of the Supreme Court and its justices

Unpacking the role of the Supreme Court and its justices

Learn more about the U.S. Supreme Court, including how a new justice is seated.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Review how the U.S. Supreme Court works and see how it has served as the protector of the people's rights

Review how the U.S. Supreme Court works and see how it has served as the protector of the people's rights

The operation of the U.S. Supreme Court is discussed by Hubert H. Humphrey.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Study the U.S. judicial branch and learn about the checks and balances to which it is subject

Study the U.S. judicial branch and learn about the checks and balances to which it is subject

Learn how appeals arrive at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn about the Marbury v. Madison and the Dred Scott decision

Learn about the Marbury v. Madison and the Dred Scott decision

Marbury v. Madison and the Dred Scott case were two of the early...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn how the U.S. Supreme Court has uphelds freedom of speech and religion and the right to due process

Learn how the U.S. Supreme Court has uphelds freedom of speech and religion and the right to due process

In the 1950s and '60s many U.S. Supreme Court decisions involved the First and Fourteenth...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

How Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court

How Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court

O'Connor became the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice on September 25, 1981.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

See how the Supreme Court decision in Lochner v. New York affected labourers in the Industrial Revolution

See how the Supreme Court decision in Lochner v. New York affected labourers in the Industrial Revolution

During the Industrial Revolution, decisions such as Lochner v. New York...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Why the Dred Scott decision is one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court rulings in history

Why the Dred Scott decision is one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court rulings in history

Learn more about the Dred Scott decision and why it is considered the worst U.S....

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court legacy

A tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court legacy

A look back at the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Find out how the U.S. Supreme Court changed under U.S. Pres. Franklin Roosevelt and learn about its role in the civil rights movement

Find out how the U.S. Supreme Court changed under U.S. Pres. Franklin Roosevelt and learn about its role in the civil rights movement

Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

A person ascends the steps of the west facade of the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., with its tall columns and a round fountain in the foreground.

U.S. Supreme Court building

The west facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

© Orhan Çam/stock.adobe.com

Interior view of the U.S. Supreme Court courtroom in Washington, D.C., showing empty justices' chairs behind a bench, marble columns, red curtains, and a clock above.

U.S. Supreme Court: courtroom

The courtroom of the Supreme Court of the United States.

© Alex Wong/Getty Images

The nine United States Supreme Court justices pose in black robes for their official portrait, with five seated in front and four standing behind against a red curtain backdrop.

U.S. Supreme Court justices in 2022

Official portrait of the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, taken October 7, 2022....

© Alex Wong/Getty Images

The main entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court building

The main entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court building

Sculptor James Earle Fraser's Contemplation of Justice, on the north side...

Lois Long/Supreme Court of the United States

Old Supreme Court Chamber

Old Supreme Court Chamber

The Supreme Court of the United States sat in the Old Supreme Court Chamber from...

Franz Jantzen/Supreme Court of the United States

Old Senate Chamber

Old Senate Chamber

The Supreme Court of the United States sat in the Old Senate Chamber, pictured here...

Franz Jantzen/Supreme Court of the United States

U.S. Supreme Court in 1962

U.S. Supreme Court in 1962

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962 were (bottom row, from left) Associate...

Warren K. Leffler—U.S. News and World Report/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppmsca-41069)

Diagram showing the structure of the United States court system, with federal courts on the left-U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court-and state courts on the right-State Trial Courts, Intermediate Appellate Courts, and State Supreme Courts. Arrows indicate the path of appeals, with both federal and state systems leading to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Structure of the United States Court System

A diagram depicting the structure of the court system of the United States.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

U.S. Supreme Court in 2009

U.S. Supreme Court in 2009

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009 were (left to right) Associate Justice...

Mark Wilson/Getty Images News

Diagram showing the structure of the United States court system, with federal courts on the left-U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court-and state courts on the right-State Trial Courts, Intermediate Appellate Courts, and State Supreme Courts. Arrows indicate the path of appeals, with both federal and state systems leading to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Structure of the United States Court System

A diagram depicting the structure of the court system of the United States.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., designed by Cass Gilbert and completed...

© Dave Newman/Fotolia

George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James Nabrit, Jr. smile together in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Brown v. Board of Education

(From left) Lawyers George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James M. Nabrit, Jr.,...

© Bettmann/Getty Images

Supreme Court Justices

Supreme Court Justices

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States, circa 1954. Bottom row,...

© Keystone Pictures/Alamy

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court, as it was constituted in 2010: (second row, from left) Associate...

Steve Petteway/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

U.S. chief justices

U.S. chief justices

Portraits of U.S. Chief Justices John Jay, John Rutledge, Oliver Ellsworth, John...

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-17681)

Map of the National Mall area in Washington, D.C., highlighting major streets, metro stations, parks, government buildings, and prominent points of interest such as museums, memorials, and federal offices. Key landmarks include the Capitol, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian museums, and the Washington Monument, with a numbered legend identifying each site.

Map of the National Mall, Washington, D.C.

National Mall, Washington, D.C.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Current Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court

Current Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court

The nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court as of 2025.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

Diagram of the branches of the U.S. government showing the Constitution at the top, connected to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with executive departments listed below.

How the government works

Explore the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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