Congress has the right to manipulate the organization of the Supreme Court, and has over the years varied the number of associate justices from as few as six to as many as ten. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court has been originally applied to cases affecting ambassadors, public ministers, or any case in which a State is a party. Congress has also given the Supreme Court the authority to review any decision made in the lower federal courts and the highest courts of the States (Chambers 54).
There are other courts in the federal system besides the Supreme Court. The 94 District Courts are the trial courts in which the majority of federal cases are first tried and decided. Each state in the Union, plus each territory like the District of Columbia or Guam, has its own District Court. Each District Court has anywhere from one to twenty-eight judges presiding, though each case is assigned only one judge (Chambers 55). In addition to the District Courts, the federal system also includes Courts of Appeals, which are sometimes referred to as circuit courts. The Courts of Appeals are divided geographically throughout the country into twelve circuits, each of which contains between six and twenty-eight judges. The jurisdiction of these courts covers appeals from the District Courts and any appeals made to the federal system because of actions made by government agencies (Chambers 55). In addition, there are some specialized courts in the federal system, such as the U.S. Claims Court that hears claims against the United States, the Court of International Trade whose jurisdiction is claims against the government from federal laws surrounding imports, or the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals (Chambers 56). There...
However, in actuality, he or she is chosen by the majority party ("U.S. Civics").
Senate Majority Leader: This individual is part of the first-ranking party in the Senate, and is usually a distinguished senior member of the Senate. The Senate majority leaders schedules actions regarding bills and guides legislative programs through the Senate ("U.S. Civics").
Secretary of State: The role of Secretary of State is to work with individuals in other nations around the world to facilitate better international relationships.
Secretary of Defense: This individual is the head of the Department of Defense, and manages issues that pertain directly to the armed services and the
military. Because this is theoretically the purview of the President, the Secretary of Defense acts as direct advisor to the President on these matters.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the individual assigned to the Supreme Court by the President of the United States as mandated by the
Constitution. He or she is currently accompanied by associate justices who aid in rendering a final decision on matters before the Court (Chambers 54).
Works Cited
Bully Pulpit." C-SPAN Congressional Glossary. 23 Nov. 2007 http://www.c-span.org/guide/congress/glossary/bullypul.htm.
Chambers, Ann B. Our
American Government. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993.
U.S. Civics: How the U.S. Government Works." History Central. 2000. 23 Nov. 2007 http://www.historycentral.com/Civics/index.html.
