Judicial Branch

Article three places judicial power in the hands of one Supreme Court and Inferior courts as Congress sees necessary to establish.

The Supreme Court:

Highest court in the country.
Its members consist of nine Justices and one is the Chief Justice.
They are appointed by the President, but approved by the Senate.
Unless they resign, retire, or impeached - Justices appointments are for life.
It is empowered with the judicial powers of the government.
The Court's most important responsibility is to decide cases that raise questions of constitutional interpretation. Does a law or government action violate the Constitution.
The Court can overrule both federal and state laws when they conflict with its interpretation of the Constitution.
The Court's decisions are the ultimate authority in Constitutional interpretation.
Its decisions can be changed only by a constitutional amendment.

There are lower Federal courts but they are not created by the Constitution. Rather, Congress deemed them necessary and established them using the power granted from the Constitution.

There are thirteen judial circuits, each with a court of appeals.
There are ninety - four U.S. district courts in the United States.

COURTS
1. Decide arguments about the meaning of laws.	2. How the laws are applied.	3. Whether the laws break the rules of the Constitution. A judicial review is a courts authority to decide constitutionality.

Checks and Balances

Click here for the definition of checks and balances.

"A branch may use it s powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government."

" This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too powerful."

For example, " The President may veto a a law passed by Congress. Congress can override that veto of two-thirds of both houses. Another example is that the Supreme Court may check Congress by declaring a law unconstitutional. The power is balanced by the fact that members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President. Those appointments have to be approved by Congress."

Please click to listen to the questions, type in the correct answers, then scroll over the answer boxes to see if you were right?

Sounds

Questions

Answers

1. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for how long?

Answer: Life

2. How many members make up the Supreme Court Justices?

Answer: Nine

3. Who appoints the Justices?

Answer: President

4. How many judicial circuits and court of appeals are there?

Answer: Thirteen

5. Who approves the Justices?

Answer: Senate

Judicial Branch

Article three places judicial power in the hands of one Supreme Court and Inferior courts as Congress sees necessary to establish.

The Supreme Court:

Highest court in the country.

Its members consist of nine Justices and one is the Chief Justice.

They are appointed by the President, but approved by the Senate.

Unless they resign, retire, or impeached - Justices appointments are for life.

It is empowered with the judicial powers of the government.

The Court's most important responsibility is to decide cases that raise questions of constitutional interpretation. Does a law or government action violate the Constitution.

The Court can overrule both federal and state laws when they conflict with its interpretation of the Constitution.

The Court's decisions are the ultimate authority in Constitutional interpretation.

Its decisions can be changed only by a constitutional amendment.

There are lower Federal courts but they are not created by the Constitution. Rather, Congress deemed them necessary and established them using the power granted from the Constitution.

There are thirteen judial circuits, each with a court of appeals.

There are ninety - four U.S. district courts in the United States.

COURTS

1. Decide arguments about the meaning of laws.

2. How the laws are applied.

3. Whether the laws break the rules of the Constitution. A judicial review is a courts authority to decide constitutionality.

Checks and Balances

Click here for the definition of checks and balances.

"A branch may use it s powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government."

" This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too powerful."

Please click to listen to the questions, type in the correct answers, then scroll over the answer boxes to see if you were right?

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All Information For This Page Was Obtained From The Following Sources:

http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110221/Judicial.html

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/

http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_checksandbalances.htm