Supreme Court

American  

noun

1. the highest court of the U.S.

2. (in many states) the highest court of the state.

3. (lowercase) (in some states) a court of general jurisdiction subordinate to an appeals court.

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Supreme Court British  

noun

1. the highest Federal court, possessing final appellate jurisdiction and exercising supervisory jurisdiction over the lower courts

2. (in many states) the highest state court

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Supreme Court Cultural  

1. A federal court; the highest body in the judicial branch. The Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices, all of whom are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They serve on the Court as long as they choose, subject only to impeachment. Each state also has a supreme court; these courts are all courts of appeals, primarily hearing cases that have already been tried. The federal Supreme Court (“the” Supreme Court) has the final word on interpretation of all laws and of the Constitution itself.

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The McCulloch and Roe decisions illustrate the principle of broad construction (interpretation) of the Constitution. The opposite is narrow construction. Those who favor broad construction, or judicial activism, believe that the spirit of the times, the values of the justices, and the needs of the nation may legitimately influence the way justices decide cases. In contrast, narrow constructionists insist that the Court should be bound by the exact words of the Constitution or by the intentions of the framers of the Constitution or by some combination of both. This view is sometimes called judicial restraint.

Supreme Court decisions have a significant impact on public policy and are often extremely controversial. In interpreting the Constitution, the justices of the Supreme Court occasionally have deduced legal doctrines that are not clearly stated (or stated at all) in the Constitution. For example, in the famous case of McCulloch versus Maryland (1819), Chief Justice John Marshall advanced the opinion, accepted by the Court, that the Constitution implicitly gives the federal government the power to establish a national bank, even though such a power is not explicitly granted by the Constitution. Similarly, in Roe versus Wade (1973), the Court ruled that state laws restricting abortion violate the right of privacy.

Example Sentences

“At some point soon the United States Supreme court is going to be tested,” Mayes said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2025

"I strongly condemn the attacks against the Supreme court and the lower house," he said in a statement posted to X.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2024

The panel for selecting judges now comprises three Supreme court justices, two cabinet ministers, two parliamentarians and two lawyers.

From Reuters • Jan. 11, 2023

A very unusual move for a Supreme court litigator, but RBG went for it.

From Slate • Aug. 31, 2021

The decision of the Circuit Court discharging Neagle from the custody of the sheriff of San Joaquin county was affirmed by the Supreme court of the United States on the 14th of April, 1890.

From Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California with Other Sketches; To Which Is Added the Story of His Attempted Assassination by a Former Associate on the Supreme Bench of the State by Field, Stephen Johnson