Not only is the U.S. Supreme Court the highest court in the country, it is the oldest. This court was established in 1789 and has been hearing important cases continuously since 1790. The president of the United States appoints all supreme court justices. Once appointed, they often serve for life.

Job Description

Justices on the Supreme Court review legal cases, then make rulings on interpretations of U.S. laws and the Constitution. Every Supreme Court Term begins each year on the first Monday in October and normally ends in June or July of the following year. During each term, all the justices meet to review and discuss petitions for decisions. Each justice votes whether the court will hear a case or dismiss it without a ruling. Most of the cases that a justice hears have been previously argued in a lower state or federal court. When justices allow a case to come before the court, the opposing parties present written or oral arguments for their side, but the judges do not listen to testimony from witnesses.

Education Requirements

Supreme Court justices need to complete a bachelor's degree, usually a liberal arts course of study. They must then attend law school and get a juris doctor degree before they can practice law in the United States. The total time for the bachelor's degree and the law degree is seven years. All lawyers must pass the bar exam in the state where they want to practice law. Preparation time for the exam varies, but many graduates spend three-to-six additional months studying for it.

The law sets the annual Supreme Court justice salary. In 2018, the chief justice's annual salary is $267,000. The salary for the remaining eight associate justices is $255,300. This is an increase of $3,700 from the chief justice's 2017 salary of $263,800. The associate justices earn $3,500 more in 2018 than in 2017 when they received $251,800.

Industry

Supreme Court justices start their careers as lawyers. To get the experience needed for an appointment, most justices advance through the local, state and federal court system over the years. The average age of justices when appointed is 53. For all lawyers, job competition is intense because the annual number of law school graduates exceeds the number of positions. As lawyers try to advance to judgeships, the number of available positions decreases even more. Some lawyers join federal, state or local government agencies as staff attorneys. These paths and private practice help lawyers qualify for judgeships.

Years of Experience

Congress must approve all Supreme Court justice salary increases. Since 2001, all justices received annual salary increases except in 2007. That year their salaries stayed at the 2006 levels of $212,100 for the chief justice and $203,000 for associate justices. When an associate justice becomes the chief justice, his salary increases to the amount approved for the new position.

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