Original jurisdiction cases involve ambassadors, diplomat, and matters in which a state is a party. Appellate cases come from the 50 state supreme courts and the 13 Circuit Courts of Appeal. Usually all these cases involve a question of constitutionality and federal law. The decisions made by the Supreme Court in these cases become precedent, or guides for judicial rulings in all courts in the U.S. The court hears about 150 cases per year and these cases are hand-picked by the court itself. Like the appellate courts, the Supreme Court has the three ruling options of affirmation, reversal, or remand. In all decisions made by the Supreme Court, the justices offer opinions on their rulings. In a unanimous decision by the court, an opinion in which all the judges agree is offered. When a majority decision is reached, a concurring opinion or a dissenting opinion may be offered. .
The decisions of the court are classified by the public as good or bad. The use of good or bad in the wording of the decision and not the decision itself. An example of a good decision by the court is the Roe vs. Wade decision. The decision made by the court clearly laid out when the decision to have and abortion should be left to a physician and the woman wanting the abortion. I.
The Supreme Court has become very involved in judicial activism since its early days as a court of restraint (performing a strict role of judicial interpreter of the law and adjudicator of disputes). Reversing past Supreme Court decisions (Brown vs. Board of Education; 1954), deciding political issues (Bush vs. Gore; 2001) and debating the original intention on the Constitution are all ways the Supreme Court has become an activist court. .
The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices, with one of the presiding as Chief Justice. They are nominated and appointed to their seats by the President and must be confirmed by Congress.