If congress wanted to reduce the number of justices, who would have to leave?
91039
no-one / they'd just not replace the next vacancy. I's called "atrition"
158193
No!Because if you cut off the hand in congressthan you cant \ncongress any more.Duh!
593270
There are nine justices in total, the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.  The court does not need back-up because it can issue decisions without input from all of the justices if necessary.
1043808
This problem started back during the first term of the F.D.R. Administration. F.D.R. was attempting to push through his "New Deal" legislation and the Supreme Court was striking down pieces of legislation left and right because they were not within the enumerated powers of the federal goverment.\n\nF.D.R.'s solution to this little problem was to threaten to pack the court with justices who would vote the way he wanted. Back then there was no constitutionally stipulated maximum to the number of justices that could be put on the court so long as the president nominated them and the Senate gave their consent.\n\nWith this very real threat in place, the High Court backed down, and ever since we have essentially had no limit on the powers of the federal government.\n\nThis is the single greatest threat to our country. If we don't get a handle on it soon, the great experiment in self government started by our founding fathers is going to be a distant memory.
38811
He is expected to be confirmed this month.  He will take over for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.  He will not be able to rule on any cases that has been heard by the court with Justice O'Connor.  Those cases might have to be reheard by the court if there is a tie, since only 8 members of the court can vote on those cases.
1166302
hurray for Scalia. About time some common sense came to the court. Hope we can get alot more like him in there.  Get back to following the constitution and not the whim of justices like Briar and Ginsburg.
240277
They don't play a role in the Supreme Court, the nine justices ARE the Supreme Court.\n\nThe job of the nine Supreme Court Justices is to interpret the Consitution and laws passed by Congrees (and the states as well).  In reviewing cases, they decide what the law means, and because they are the highest court in the US, you cannot appeal their decision.  They are an equal branch to the Legislature (Congress which passes laws) and the Executive (President which enforced the laws) of our Federal Government.  \n\nWith any law, there is always "grey areas" about what the law intended to do and how it is actually being used.  The Supreme Court rules on those questions like "When can the police search your car under the fourth amendment?" and "Does the President have the right to refuse to give Congress certain documents?"
261939
The number is fairly arbitrary, and was not set by the constitution. Congress first set the number at 6 and increased to 10 as the country grew in size, but was then cut to 7 when Congress wanted to deny Jackson the right to replace justices. Finally, the Circuit Judges Act of 1869 set it at 9 and it has been that way ever since. FDR tried to pack the court and add up to 15, but Congress never passed it.\n\nThe number is obviously not to avoid ties, as there have been even numbers of justices at several times in the court's history, and even when there is an odd number, an even number of justices can hear a case, if one recuses themself, etc.
105506
There are only 4 conservative justices currently on the Supreme Court, not enough to overturn Roe v. Wade.  Note the correct spellings:  (1) conservative; (2) Roe; and (3) Wade.
840978
I would make the Senators, Congressmen, President, and Supreme Court ask us this question.
238656
Our Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President.  They go through confirmation hearings in Congress and are approved by a vote of the Senate.  They are appointed for life or until their voluntary retirement as that of Sandra Day O'Connor within the past couple of months.
962593
The United States Constitution does not specify the size of the Supreme Court; instead, Congress has the power to fix the number of Justices. Originally, the total number of Justices was set at six by the Judiciary Act of 1789. As the country grew geographically, the number of Justices steadily increased to correspond with the growing number of judicial circuits. The court was expanded to seven members in 1807, nine in 1837 and ten in 1863. In 1866, however, Congress wished to deny President Andrew Johnson any Supreme Court appointments, and therefore passed the Judicial Circuits Act, which provided that the next three Justices to retire would not be replaced; thus, the size of the Court would eventually reach seven by attrition. Consequently, one seat was removed in 1866 and a second in 1867. The Circuit Judges Act of 1869 again set the number of judges at nine (the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices), where it has remained ever since.\n\nPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to expand the Court in his proposed Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937. His plan would have allowed the President to appoint one new, additional justice for every justice who reached the age of seventy but did not retire from the bench, until the Court reached a maximum size of fifteen justices. Ostensibly, this was to ease the burdens of the docket on the elderly judges, but it was widely believed that the President's actual purpose was to add Justices who would favor his New Deal policies, which had been regularly ruled unconstitutional by the Court. This plan, referred to often as the Court Packing Plan, failed in Congress. The Court, however, moved from its opposition to Roosevelt's New Deal programs, rendering the President's effort moot (see the switch in time that saved nine). In any case, Roosevelt's long tenure in the White House allowed him to appoint eight Justices to the Supreme Court and promote one Associate Justice to Chief Justice; upon his death in 1945, all but one of the Court's members were his appointees.
299234
Ultimately, the Supreme Court, if it wants to take the case.\n\nA law thought unconstitutional is challenged in a suit in a lower court; after a decision is made there, the loser appeals to an Appellate Court, and then to the Supreme Court.
881451
1.  The Supreme Court Justices are APPOINTED for life, not elected.  They are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.  They can also be impeached, but that's just as hard as impeaching the President.\n\n2.  The Supreme Court can review all laws after they are passed to see if they violate the constitution.  Ditto for treaties, but treaties are passed by congress after they are negotiated by diplomats or the president.\n\n3.  That depends on who the dispute is with.  If a State or a citizen sues the U.S. they go to Federal Court (but there are only a few things you can take the U.S. to court for).  If it's with another country, then it just depends.  The U.N. might try to negotiate it, or perhaps a third country.  But it all depends on the type of dispute.  When the U.S. had a dispute with Afghanistan over Osama Bin Laden, the U.S. resolved the dispute by invading Afghanistan.\n\n4.  Federal courts settle these disputes.\n\n5.  The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over formal impeachment proceedings.  The proceedings are held by the Senate after the House of Representatives has passed "articles of impeachment"\n\n6.  Article III (3)
487006
1.  C.  The number of members of the House each state gets depends on its population.  The actual method is the sum of least squares, since the House membership is set at 435.\n\n2.  B.  The Speaker of the House is the most prominent person in the Congress, even though the Vice President is technically President of the Senate.\n\n3.  A.  Department of Defense.\n\n4.  D.  To give his party unfair advantage.  The process is known as gerrymandering, and is done by state legislatures throughout the country.  District lines are drawn to guarantee a member of a certain party will always get elected from that district, and this is best done by giving the other party a district where they will have an overwhelming majority of voters, while giving neighboring districts in your party sizable majorities.  You give up one seat, but may get 4 or 5 in return.\n\n5.  D.  Mayor-council form.  City managers are usually seen in smaller cities.\n\n6.  A.  Vote to impeach.  This means only to accuse, and they can do it for any government official in any branch (legislative, judiciary, executive).  The trial is held in the Senate, and if convicted, the impeached person is removed from office.
18363
Three branches, not two. Judicial (Supreme Court), Presidential/Executive (White House), Legislative (Congress).
360012
Even if someone actually wrote a petition that would attempt to solve our nation's leadership problem by getting rid of Bush, presidents are removed from office through steps taken by Congress in the actual impeachment process. The answer is no.