The supreme court is the judicial branch of the US Constitution, with John G. Roberts, Jr. as the Chief Justice of the United States.
U.S. Supreme Court
In the state judiciary of the United States, the state supreme court holds the highest level of power over cases- and the decision is considered final in both state and federal courts. For instance, if a First Amendment right to freedom of speech case was chosen by the highest court of a state (typically the state supreme court), the case could be referred to the Federal Supreme Court.
Nonetheless, if the same case were chosen altogether on a state law like the First Amendment, the Supreme Court of the United States would not consider it. The Court ordinarily hears situations when there are clashing choices the nation over on a specific issue or when there is an error in the case.
The members of the Court are alluded to as ‘justices’ and, as other government judges, they are named by the President and affirmed by the Senate for a term of life. There are nine justices on the court- eight associate justices and one chief justice. The Constitution sets no necessities for Supreme Court judges, however all current individuals from the court are legal advisors and most have served as circuit court judges too. Justices are former law professors and are chosen by the President. The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C.
U.S Supreme Court Justices
The current members of the supreme court are:
- John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States
- Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice
- Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice
- Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice
- Elena Kagan, Associate Justice
- Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice
- Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice
- Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice
- Sandra Day O’Connor (Retired), Associate Justice
- Anthony M. Kennedy (Retired), Associate Justice
- David H. Souter (Retired), Associate Justice
Chief Justice Salary
The average salary figure that a chief justice of the supreme court receives in 2020 is $277,700, which has of course increased with a small percentage each year. Here is a table from the last 20 years of the salary figures of chief justices and associate justices of the supreme court of the United States.
Year | Chief Justice | Associate Justices | Chief Justice
2019 inflation adjusted figures |
Associate Justices
2019 inflation adjusted figures |
2000 | $181,400 | $173,600 | $269,313 | $257,733 |
2001 | $186,300 | $178,300 | $268,999 | $257,448 |
2002 | $192,600 | $184,400 | $273,774 | $262,118 |
2003 | $198,600 | $190,100 | $276,021 | $264,207 |
2004 | $203,000 | $194,300 | $274,780 | $263,003 |
2005 | $208,100 | $199,200 | $272,420 | $260,769 |
2006 | $212,100 | $203,000 | $268,994 | $257,453 |
2008 | $217,400 | $208,100 | $258,158 | $247,115 |
2009 | $223,500 | $213,900 | $266,349 | $254,908 |
2010 | $223,500 | $213,900 | $262,040 | $250,785 |
2011 | $223,500 | $213,900 | $254,016 | $243,106 |
2012 | $223,500 | $213,900 | $248,898 | $238,208 |
2013 | $223,500 | $213,900 | $245,307 | $234,771 |
2014 | $255,500 | $244,400 | $275,936 | $266,540 |
2015 | $258,100 | $246,800 | $278,391 | $266,203 |
2016 | $260,700 | $249,300 | $277,726 | $265,581 |
2017 | $263,300 | $251,800 | $274,631 | $262,636 |
2018 | $267,000 | $255,300 | $271,847 | $259,935 |
2019 | $270,700 | $258,900 | $270,700 | $258,900 |
2020 | $277,700 | $265,600 | N/A | N/A |
Note: Sample rates have been extracted online, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Supreme Court Justice Pension
When a supreme court justice retires at the age of 65, they are given a lifetime pension which is equal to their highest full salary. And to qualify for this, there is a basic requirement that these retiring justices must have served for a minimum of 10 years provided the sum of the justice’s age and years of Supreme Court service totals 80.
Functions of the Supreme Court
When it comes to giving justice to the people, the judiciary is one of the major organs of the governmental structure, its functions are:
Giving justice to the people: When a case goes to trial, the criminals are rightfully punished under the radar of the law, and the victim is compensated for their grief and loss.
Application of laws: The judiciary is responsible for interpreting and applying various laws to specific cases so that a just outcome is formed at the end. The legal executive likewise assumes a part in law-production. The choices given by the courts truly decide the significance, nature and extent of the laws passed by the governing body. The understanding of laws by the legal executive adds up to law-production as it is these translations which truly characterize the laws.
Value Legislation: Where a law is quiet or questionable, or seems, by all accounts, to be conflicting with some other rule that everyone must follow, the judges rely on their feeling of equity, decency, fair-mindedness, trustworthiness and insight for choosing the cases. Such choices consistently include law making, and is also known as equity legislation.
Security of Rights: The judicial branch has the preeminent obligation to protect the privileges and rights of its citizens. A resident has the privilege to look for the security of the legal executive on the off chance that his privileges are abused or taken steps to be disregarded by the legislature or by private associations or individual residents. In every single such case, it turns into the obligation of the legal executive to secure rights of the individuals.
Guardian of the Constitution: The judiciary also goes as the protector of the Constitution. The Constitution is the incomparable rule that everyone must follow and it is the duty of the judiciary to interpret and ensure it. For this reason the legal executive can direct legal audit over any law for deciding whether it is as per the letter and soul of the constitution.If that any law is discovered illegal, it is dismissed by the judiciary and it becomes invalid for future. This intensity of the court is known as the power of judicial review.
Running of the Judicial Administration: The judiciary isn’t a division of the legislature. It is autonomous of both the governing body and the leader. It is a different and free organ with its own association and authorities. It has the ability to choose the idea of legal association in the state. It outlines and upholds its own guidelines. These oversee the enrollment and working of the officers and different people working in the courts. It makes and upholds rules for the precise and proficient lead of legal organization.
Conclusion
The government structure of the United States follows the words of the constitution, and makes sure that all other departments are aligned with it. The legislature, executive and judicial are the three most powerful organs of the structure and all their functions and laws clearly define and reflect with the constitution itself.
The judicial system caters to all the courts and cases that are brought forward, criminal and civil both. The supreme court is the highest level of court with its decision being final and respected all through the country.