The supreme court is the most powerful judicial branch on the planet. It serves as a sign to other courts around the world. Over all of the history of America, there has only been about 100 people chosen to be justices. The average term is 16 years, but many stay for decades more, even after the president who appointed them leaves office. They use a 200 year old document called the constitution to help guide them in making decisions. They are also called upon to balance the power of the other branches of government.
How does a case get to the supreme court? You send in a petition for a trail of your case. These come in the thousands every year but only about 100 get accepted. In each of their offices, 9 different justices look over each call to action and decide its faith. They ask questions like, "did the lower courts apply the law properly?" and "is the law constitutional?" Every week, the justices get together to decide what cases are chosen. In a supreme court case, it is public. Lawyers from either side are each given 30 minutes to present their claims.
Find out more here: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRoXYRsaeo&t=119s Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8qSuWxcG8
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