Supreme Court of the United States

The highest court in the United States federal judiciary, with final authority over federal law and constitutional interpretation.

Judicial review: The power of courts to assess whether government actions comply with a constitution. It lets the Court invalidate federal and state laws that conflict with the Constitution.
Marbury v. Madison: The 1803 Supreme Court decision that established judicial review of federal legislation. It asserted the Court's authority to interpret the Constitution against an act of Congress.
Constitution of the United States: The supreme legal framework establishing the United States government and protecting individual rights. It creates the judicial branch and supplies the text the Court interprets.
John Marshall: The fourth chief justice of the United States, who led the Court from 1801 to 1835. His decisions strengthened the Court and established judicial review.
United States Courts of Appeals: The federal intermediate appellate courts that review decisions from district courts and agencies. They decide most federal appeals, while the Supreme Court reviews only a small selection.
Writ of certiorari: An order by a higher court agreeing to review a lower court's decision. The Court uses certiorari to select most cases on its docket.
McCulloch v. Maryland: The 1819 Supreme Court case upholding implied congressional powers and federal supremacy over states. It defined broad federal authority and limits on state interference.
Article III of the United States Constitution: The constitutional article that establishes the federal judiciary and defines its judicial power. It provides the Court's constitutional foundation and core jurisdiction.
Thurgood Marshall: An American civil rights lawyer and the first Black justice of the Supreme Court. His advocacy before the Court and later service connected litigation to constitutional doctrine.
United States district court: A federal trial court that hears evidence and resolves cases in the first instance. District courts establish records and findings that may later reach the Supreme Court.

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