Supreme Court

A Short Biography on Justice Sonia Sotomayor

A Short Biography on Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor’s biography reveals that judge Sonia Sotomayor beings a strong life experience with her to the bench.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York City. Sonia Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude with a B.A from Princeton University, before receiving her J.D. from Yale Law School after serving as an editor at the Yale Law Journal. 
After graduation, she served as an assistant district attorney in New York for five years. She entered private practice in 1984, before being nominated to serve on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York by President H.W. Bush in 1991, with her confirmation to the position coming in early 1992.
While serving in that capacity, Judge Sonia Sotomayor issued two famous rulings, the first an injunction against Major League Baseball which ended the 1994 baseball strike. Judge Sonia Sotomayor also ruled to allow the Wall Street Journal to publish Vince Foster’s final note. 
In 1997, Bill Clinton nominated her to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In a repeat of Sonia Sotomayor’s biography, her confirmation was delayed once again. While on the Second Circuit, Judge Sonia Sotomayor heard more than three thousand appeals and wrote almost four hundred opinions. Judge Sonia Sotomayor has also taught at NYU School of Law and Columbia Law School.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor was President Barack Obama’s first nominee to the US Supreme Court.

A Short Biography on Justice Samuel Alito

A Short Biography on Justice Samuel Alito

Justice Samuel Alito is the one hundred and tenth Supreme Court Justice. This conservative jurist was appointed to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush.
Samuel A. Alito Jr. was born on April 1, 1950 in Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up in Hamilton Township a suburb of Trenton. Samuel Alito left a note in his college yearbook which said that he hoped to “eventually warm a seat on the Supreme Court.” 
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He then attended Yale Law School, where he served as editor of the Yale Law Journal while earning his Juris Doctor in 1975.
After graduating from Yale Law School, Samuel A. Alito Jr. served on active duty from September to December 1975. He earned a rank of Captain before receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1980.
During 1976 and 1977, Samuel Alito clerked for Third Circuit appeals Judge Leonard Garth in Newark, New Jersey. He interviewed for a clerkship with Supreme Court Justice White, but was not hired. For 1977-1981, Alito served as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. 
He prosecuted may drug trafficking and organized crime cases. He was an Assistant to Solicitor General Rex E. Lee from 1981-1985, during which time he argued twelve cases before the Supreme Court. From 1985-1987, Samuel A. Alito Jr. was the Deputy Assistant to Attorney General Edwin Meese. From 1987-1990, Alito served as Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
In February 1990, President George H.W. Bush nominated him to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In 2005, George W. Bush nominated Samuel Alito to become a Supreme Court Justice. He was narrowly approved, by a vote of 58-42. 

Facts About the State Court of Georgia

Facts About the State Court of Georgia

Georgia State Court System Defined:
The state government of Georgia and its respective court system was established and is currently governed in accordance with the Georgia State Constitution.
The State court of Georgia is a republican-based government body with three distinct branches of operation: the Legislature, the Executive branch, and the judiciary.
Through a defined system of separation of powers or “checks and balances”, each of these branches possesses some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other branches, and some authority to be regulated by the other branches.
The judiciary branch, which holds the State Court of Georgia, is the body responsible for determining and upholding the various legal codes within the state. 
The highest judiciary power in the state of Georgia is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Georgia is composed of seven judges.
The state Court system of Georgia also possesses a Court of Appeals, which is composed of 12 judges. 
Georgia is divided into 49 judicial circuits, each circuit possesses a Superior Court which consists of local citizens numbering between two and 19 members—the numbers of local citizens is dependent on the circuit’s population. 
As stated by the state’s Constitution, Georgia also possesses probate courts, juvenile courts, magistrate courts, as well as state courts; the General Assembly may also authorize various municipal courts. Other court systems, including the county recorder’s courts, civil courts and other agencies may continue with the same jurisdiction until otherwise stated or provided by law.
Each county within the state has at least one superior court, probate court, magistrate court, and where needed a state court and a juvenile court. In the absence of a state court or a juvenile court, the superior court exercises the jurisdiction in question.

Facts About the State Court of Ohio

Facts About the State Court of Ohio

State Court Ohio Explained:

 The local government of the state of Ohio is comprised of three distinct branches—the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The basic structure of the local government is set forth and established through the statutes and ordinances within the Ohio Constitution. 

The judicial branch of Ohio houses the State court system. The judicial branch of Ohio is headed by the Supreme Court, which possesses one chief justice and six associate justices. Each of these appointed officials is elected to a staggered six-year term. 

As is common with most judicial branches of local government systems, there are several other levels of elected judiciaries within the State court of Ohio. 

 The State court of claims, which possesses jurisdiction over all civil actions against the state og Ohio in situations where the state has waived its sovereign immunity.

Furthermore, the State courts of appeal, comprised of 12 district appeals courts) acts as the state’s intermediate appellate court system.

Ohio’s judiciary system possesses a county court system for common pleas. Ohio contains 88 county common pleas courts; these are the principal courts of first instance for all civil and criminal matters. In more populated areas of the state, there are typically several divisions, such as a juvenile, general, probate court system. Additionally, the family court, which hears all domestic relations suits, is governed within this system.

Municipal courts and courts of Ohio are used to primarily handle minor matters, such as traffic adjudication and other misdemeanor issues, including small claims hearings.  If you need legal advice and assistance, contact Ohio lawyers.

Facts About the State Court of Florida

Facts About the State Court of Florida

Florida State Court Defined:
 The State Court of Florida refers to the governing body that handles and regulates all legality issues within the state. 
In the United States, each territory is governed by the Federal laws of the United States’ government; however, each state maintains governing authority for all issues that occur within the state’s parameters.
 Florida is governed as a constitutional republic with three distinct branches of government. The Florida state court system possesses an executive branch, which consists of the Governor of Florida and the other appointed and elected constitutional officers; a legislative branch (also known as the Florida State Legislature), which consists of the Senate and the House; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Florida and the lower court systems of the state.
Florida allows direct participation of the electorate by referendum, ratification and initiative. 
 The State court Florida system, maintains the government established and operated according to the Florida Constitution. The Florida Constitution defines the basic operations and structures of the local government, and its coordinating responsibilities, duties, powers, as well as establishes the basic law of the state and guarantees various rights and freedoms to its people.
As stated before, the State court of Florida is divided among three branches of government; the state delegates non-exclusive power to the local municipality and county governments. That being said, home-rule charters may be established which provide local autonomy over the operation and structure of the aforementioned governments. 

Facts About the State Court of New York

Facts About the State Court of New York

New York State Court Defined:

As is common in all 50 states in America, the head of the executive branch of the local government of New York is the Governor of the state.

New York consists of a legislative branch, referred to as the legislature, which consists of a Senate and an Assembly. Dissimilar to most states; however, New York law permits electoral fusions, which allows for the presentation of New York ballots to reveal a larger number of parties.

The court system in New York typically tends to produce an assortment of confusion for those associated with other states. As is found in Maryland and Washington D.C., the highest court in New York is referred to as the ‘Court of Appeals’ and not the ‘Supreme Court.’

Instead of the trial court being referred to as the “Superior Court,” the New York court system labels the trial court as the “Supreme Court.”

Historically speaking, county superior courts, like New York’s county supreme courts, were viewed as the highest level of trial court; these court systems oversee a network of inferior trial courts, for example various recorder’s courts, courts of referees and commissioners, and municipal courts.

The state court of New York’s intermediate appellate court (the court system between the New York State Supreme Courts and the New York Court of Appeals) is referred to as the New York State Supreme Court-Appellate Division. Local courts in towns and villages of the state are called Justice Courts; these courts are the starting point for all criminal cases that occur in outside cities; this court system handles a variety of other matters including traffic ticket cases, small claims hearings and issues pertaining to zoning.

The Job of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

The Job of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

When seeking to fill a vacant position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the President has two options. The president can appoint a new Supreme Court Justice, or the choice can be made to elevate one of the Associate Judges on the Supreme Court to the Position. Technically, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is known as the Chief Justice of the United States.
The position represents the head of the United States Federal Court system, which comprised the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States. The Chief Justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. 
The Chief Justice is the highest judicial official in the country. He acts as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Federal Courts. He is responsible for appointing the director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court serves as the spokesperson of the judicial branch.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court leads the business of the Supreme Court, and presides over all arguments in the Court.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is responsible for determining who will write the official opinion of the Court. The Chief Justice sets the agenda of the Court.
If the President is facing impeachment, the Chief Justice presides over the trial. The Chief Justice is responsible for administering the oath of office to the President of the United States of America at his inauguration. The first Chief Justice was John Jay, and there have been sixteen Chief Justices since. 

How many Supreme Court Justices are there?

How many Supreme Court Justices are there?

There are nine
Supreme Court Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States. These nine
Supreme Court Justices who serve on the Supreme Court of the United States are
only able to ascend to the Supreme Court of the United States after being
nominated by the President of the United States, undergoing a hearing held by
the Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate, and receiving a majority
vote in their favor on the floor of the full Senate.

The nine Supreme Court Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States are
the final arbiters on whether or not a law passed by the legislative branch is
constitutional. The ability of the nine Supreme Court Justices to conduct
judicial review of an act passed by the legislature was established under 1803
sitting of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, under which the
Marshall Court interpreted the Constitution to grant the Supreme Court of the
United States the Constitutional authority and responsibility to address
whether or not the cases presented to it were in accord with the Constitution
of the United States of America. The case which enshrined this principle was
the case Marburry v. Madison. 

Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

The Chief Justice of Supreme Court is John G. Roberts. Justice Roberts was appointed to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by George W. Bush. Chief Justice Roberts began his tenure as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court immediately upon his accession to the Supreme Court on September 29, 2005. 
Prior to becoming the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Roberts served as the Circuit Judge for the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for two years, was in private practice for thirteen years, served as a professor at Georgetown University Law Center for thirteen years, was an Associate Counsel the President for four years under Ronald Reagan, and as a special assistant to the Attorney General for two years after leaving law school.
The other Supreme Court Justices’ names are, in order by how long they have served, Anton Scalia, Anthony Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayer, and Elena Kagan. The Supreme Court justices’ names reveal that they come from a broad variety of backgrounds, meaning each is capable of bringing a unique perspective the Supreme Court. 

Landmark Supreme Court Cases You Must Know

Landmark Supreme Court Cases You Must Know

Supreme Court decisions have shaped many aspects of American life.
One of the most important landmark Supreme Court Cases was Marbury v. Madison which established the principle of judicial review.
Several important Supreme Court decisions, such as McCulloh v. Maryland in 1819, Gibbons v. Ogden in 1824, Northern Securities Company v. United States in 1904, Lochner v. New York in 1905, Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States in 1911, and Employment Division v. Smith in 1990 have been landmark Supreme Court Cases in shaping the modern commercial practice in the United States of America due to their interpretation of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.
Landmark Supreme Court cases such as Mapp v Ohio in 1961, Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, and Miranda v. Arizona were all Supreme Court cases that lead to what are commonly known as a suspected criminal’s Miranda rights. 
These Supreme Court cases have forced police to inform suspects that they have the right to an attorney and the right to not incriminate themselves (which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment), although the 2010 decision Berghuis v. Thompkins has made it clear that if a suspect wishes to resume the protection of Miranda after waiving it, the request to invoke Miranda must be explicit.
There have been several landmark Supreme Court cases dealing with the legal status and rights of minorities, such as Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857, Plessy v. Ferguson in 1869, Korematsu v United States in 1944, and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978.
Other famous Supreme Court decisions include Roe v. Wade in 1973, US v. Nixon in 1974, and Bush v. Gore in 2000.