Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest federal court in the United States. In the US legal system, the Supreme Court is the final interpreter of federal constitutional law, although it may only act within the context of a case in which it has jurisdiction. The Supreme Court holds the power of judicial review, which is defined as the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law.

The Supreme Court was established in Article Three of the United States Constitution and currently consists of nine justices (the chief justice and eight associate justices) all of whom have lifetime tenure. When a vacancy on the Supreme Court occurs, it is the duty of the President, with the consent of the Senate, to appoint a new justice. Each justice has a single vote in deciding the cases argued before the court. When in the majority, the chief justice decides who writes the opinion of the court; otherwise, the most senior justice in the majority assigns the task of writing the opinion.

In 2014, Solicitor General Heather Dunbar defended the United States Government before the Supreme Court in a case brought against them by a US Citizen who was injured in a drone strike sanctioned by the Underwood Administration. In 2015, Associate Justice Robert Jacobs informs President Underwood of his intention to retire from the bench due to the rapid onset of Alzheimer's. Underwood was initially hesitant to accept his resignation until he saw it as an opportunity to appoint Heather Dunbar to the bench to prevent her from running against him in the 2016 Presidential Election. Both individuals saw through Underwood's ruse. As of 2015, the court contains: three women and six men, two of whom are African-American.

Known Justice of the United States Supreme Court

• Unknown Chief Justice
• Robert Jacobs
• Justice Moretti
• Unknown Female #1
• Unknown Female #2
• Unknown African-American Male #1
• Unknown African-American Male #2
• Unknown Male #1
• Unknown Male #2

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