Who does the Supreme Court answer to?
Asked by: Mrs. Elisa Schumm Jr. | Last update: July 10, 2025Score: 4.8/5 (48 votes)
No one regulates the Supreme Court. They are a co-equal branch of the federal government and the highest appellate court in the US.
Who can overrule the Supreme Court?
When the Supreme Court rules on a constitutional issue, that judgment is virtually final; its decisions can be altered only by the rarely used procedure of constitutional amendment or by a new ruling of the Court. However, when the Court interprets a statute, new legislative action can be taken.
Who does the Supreme Court respond to?
Appellate jurisdiction means that the Court has the authority to review the decisions of lower courts. Most of the cases the Supreme Court hears are appeals from lower courts.
Who is the boss of the Supreme Court?
Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, and there have been 104 Associate Justices in the Court's history.
Does the Supreme Court answer to Congress?
Generally, Congress determines the jurisdiction of the federal courts. In some cases, however — such as in the example of a dispute between two or more U.S. states — the Constitution grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction, an authority that cannot be stripped by Congress.
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Who has authority over the Supreme Court?
Congress Has the Authority to Regulate Supreme Court Ethics – and the Duty. From oaths to retirement to impeachment, Congress already regulates the high court, and it's time for stronger safeguards against corruption.
What power does the Senate have over the Supreme Court?
Congress and the Judicial Branch: Composition
The president nominates Supreme Court justices, but the Senate has the sole power to confirm those appointments.
Who is higher than the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court is the state's highest court. It can review cases decided by the Courts of Appeal.
Who can overrule a judge?
Most federal court decisions, and some state court rulings, can be challenged. The U.S. courts of appeals usually have the last word. The nation's 94 federal judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals.
Can the president change the Supreme Court?
The President nominates someone for a vacancy on the Court and the Senate votes to confirm the nominee, which requires a simple majority. In this way, both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the federal government have a voice in the composition of the Supreme Court.
Who has the power to remove Supreme Court?
Only Congress has the authority to remove an Article III judge. This is done through a vote of impeachment by the House and a trial and conviction by the Senate. As of September 2017, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and only eight have been convicted.
Which is the most powerful Supreme Court in the world?
The Indian Supreme Court has been called “the most powerful court in the world” for its wide jurisdiction, its expansive understanding of its own powers, and the billion plus people under its authority.
Can a Supreme Court decision be reversed?
When Congress disagrees with the Supreme Court about an interpretation of the Constitution, the only direct way to override that interpretation is for two-thirds of both houses of Congress to propose an amendment to the Constitution, which then must be ratified by three-quarters of the states.
Does anyone have control over the Supreme Court?
Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it.
Can the Roe V wade overturn be reversed?
The Supreme Court could reverse the Dobbs decision, but it won't be easy. The landmark case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022 effectively overturned the protections of Roe v. Wade, allowing states to set their own abortion laws and regulations.
Can a president overturn a law?
The veto power does not give the President the power to amend or alter the content of legislation—the President only has the ability to accept or reject an entire act passed by Congress. The President, however, can influence and shape legislation by a threat of a veto.
Who is the boss over a judge?
Lower courts typically answer to higher courts and the highest court (usually the supreme court), does not answer to anyone. The AG's office is a separate branch of government and would have power over judges typically.
Who can hold judges accountable?
The Commission on Judicial Performance, established in 1960, is the independent state agency responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial incapacity and for disciplining judges, pursuant to article VI, section 18 of the California Constitutionopens in a new window.
Can you sue a judge for violating your civil rights?
In essence, absolute immunity provides these officials with freedom from lawsuits, allowing them to invoke this protection through pretrial motions. For instance, judges and judicial officers in California enjoy a broad scope of absolute immunity that remains intact, even in light of the state's tort claims act.
Who is more powerful, Congress or the Supreme Court?
Congress and the Courts balance each other. Congress makes laws, but the Courts interpret them. The Supreme Court decides if a law fits the meaning of the Constitution.
Can the U.S. president fire federal judges?
Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. Judges and justices serve no fixed term — they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate.
What is the rule of four?
The “rule of four” is the Supreme Court's practice of granting a petition for review only if there are at least four votes to do so. The rule is an unwritten internal one; it is not dictated by any law or the Constitution.
Is the House or Senate more powerful?
The Senate is to-day the most powerful single chamber in any legislative body in the world, but this power, which is shown daily by the wide attention to all that is said and done in the Senate of the United States, is not the product of selfish and cunning usurpations on the part of an ambitious body.
What can Congress do against the Supreme Court?
Nonetheless, the Constitution does not impose complete separation between the Judiciary and the political branches. Congress possesses substantial authority to regulate how the federal courts exercise judicial power, albeit subject to certain constitutional limitations.
Can a US president dissolve the Senate?
Under the current constitution, there is no formal way to dissolve the Federal Senate or the Chamber of Deputies (Houses of the National Congress).