Judicial Branch
The federal judiciary interprets the Constitution and federal law. Article III establishes the Supreme Court and authorizes Congress to create lower federal courts. Federal judges serve lifetime appointments, subject to good behavior.
Supreme Court of the United States
Nine justices — one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices — nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Supreme Court justice data is not yet loaded. The current court consists of nine justices. Visit the official court website for current membership.
- Official Website
- supremecourt.gov
- Justices
- 9 (1 Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices)
- Appointment
- Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate
- Term
- Life tenure (subject to good behavior)
The Federal Court System
The federal judiciary is organized into three main tiers, with specialized courts handling specific subject areas.
Supreme Court of the United States
The highest court in the federal judiciary, with nine justices including the Chief Justice. It has appellate jurisdiction over all federal and state courts on matters of federal law.
United States Courts of Appeals
Thirteen intermediate appellate courts organized into 12 regional circuits plus the Federal Circuit. They review decisions from district courts and federal agencies.
United States District Courts
The general trial courts of the federal judiciary. There are 94 district courts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
Specialized Federal Courts
Courts with jurisdiction over specific subject matters, including the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of International Trade, and others.
Court Resources
Official and public-interest resources for researching federal courts and case law.
supremecourt.gov
Official website of the Supreme Court of the United States — opinions, oral arguments, and docket.
uscourts.gov
The federal court system — case search, court locator, and judicial statistics.
PACER
Public Access to Court Electronic Records — search federal court case files.
CourtListener
Free, open-source database of federal and state court opinions from the Free Law Project.