United States Supreme Court

Definition and stakes

Portrait of Felix Frankfurter Felix Frankfurter Textile Workers Union of America v…

There is perceived very little reason why the Federal courts should now be opened to so wide a degree, inviting litigation, when rules presently in existence effectively permit suit and may, in the sound discretion of the United States Supreme Court, be broadened even further to permit suit regardless of State procedural laws and without the necessity of further legislation.
Source: Wikisource

Portrait of John Fiske John Fiske Civil Government in the United States Considered with Some Reference to Its Origins

If a law of any state or of the United States is decided by the supreme court to be in violation of the Constitution, it instantly becomes void and of no effect. In this supreme exercise of jurisdiction, our highest federal tribunal is unlike any other tribunal known to history. The supreme court is the most original of all American institutions. It is peculiarly American, and for its exalted character and priceless services it is an institution of which Americans may well be proud.
Source: Gutenberg

Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Final Report (2021)

This history, which dates back to the Founding and encompasses formative periods of the nation’s history, highlights how lawmakers and the public frequently have been keenly attentive to and engaged in debate about the role the Court plays within the constitutional system. Reform debates have reflected the institutional needs of an expanding nation, and they have involved partisan conflict and philosophical struggle over substantive constitutional values and the power of government to serve the needs of the people.
Source: Wikisource

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