The Supreme Court of the United States, commonly called the U.S. Supreme Court or SCOTUS, is the highest court in the federal judicial system of the United States.

In Hindi, it may be written as:

अमेरिकी सुप्रीम कोर्ट
संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका का सर्वोच्च न्यायालय

The Court is the final judicial authority for interpreting the U.S. Constitution and federal law. It hears selected appeals from federal and state courts and also has limited original jurisdiction in certain disputes.

Information checked: 10 August 2026
Official website: supremecourt.gov
Official contact page: supremecourt.gov/contact

Quick Information

Particular	Details
Official name	Supreme Court of the United States
Common abbreviation	SCOTUS
Country	United States of America
Branch of government	Judicial Branch
Constitutional basis	Article III of the U.S. Constitution
Established	Judiciary Act of 1789; first assembled in 1790
Current Chief Justice	John G. Roberts, Jr.
Number of Associate Justices	Eight
Total seats	Nine
Headquarters	Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.
Official address	1 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20543
Main telephone	202-479-3000
TTY/deaf and hard-of-hearing support	202-479-3472
Visitor information	202-479-3030
Opinion announcements	202-479-3360
Official website	supremecourt.gov

What Is the U.S. Supreme Court?

The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the United States for cases and controversies arising under:

The U.S. Constitution
Federal laws
Treaties of the United States
Federal statutory law
Certain disputes between states
Cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers

The Court describes itself as the final interpreter of federal law and the Constitution. Its decisions may affect the entire country because lower courts and government authorities must follow binding Supreme Court precedent.

The Supreme Court does not conduct ordinary criminal trials or ordinary civil trials. It primarily reviews legal questions that have already been considered by lower courts.

Constitutional Origin and History

Article III, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution provides for one Supreme Court and authorises Congress to establish lower federal courts.

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which created the framework for the federal judiciary. The Supreme Court was organised and held its first assembly on 2 February 1790. 3

The Court’s official motto, “Equal Justice Under Law,” is inscribed above the main entrance of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

The modern Supreme Court Building was completed in 1935. Before that, the Court met in different locations, including the U.S. Capitol.

Current Justices of the Supreme Court

As of 10 August 2026, the official Supreme Court website lists the following members:

Chief Justice

John G. Roberts, Jr.

Associate Justices

Clarence Thomas
Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
Sonia Sotomayor
Elena Kagan
Neil M. Gorsuch
Brett M. Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett
Ketanji Brown Jackson

The Court consists of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The number of Associate Justices is fixed by federal law. Justices are nominated by the President of the United States and appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. 2

Appointment and Tenure of Justices

Supreme Court Justices are not elected by the public.

The appointment process generally involves:

The President nominates a candidate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee conducts hearings.
The Senate considers the nomination.
The Senate votes on confirmation.
The confirmed nominee takes the judicial oath.

Under Article III, federal judges hold office during “good Behaviour.” This generally means that Supreme Court Justices serve for life unless they resign, retire, die or are removed through impeachment and conviction.

Powers and Jurisdiction

Appellate Jurisdiction

Most cases reach the Supreme Court through its appellate jurisdiction.

The Court may review decisions from:

U.S. Courts of Appeals
State supreme courts
Other courts where a substantial federal or constitutional issue is involved

The Court receives thousands of petitions each Term but grants full review in only a small proportion of cases.

Original Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in a limited group of disputes, including certain cases:

Between two or more states
Involving ambassadors or other public ministers
Where federal law gives the Court original authority

Original jurisdiction means that the case begins in the Supreme Court rather than reaching it as an appeal from a lower court.

Judicial Review

One of the Court’s most important powers is judicial review—the authority to determine whether government action is consistent with the Constitution.

The Court may examine:

Federal laws
State laws
Executive actions
Regulations
Government policies
Court decisions

If the Court finds a law or government action unconstitutional, it may invalidate or restrict its enforcement.

How a Case Reaches the Supreme Court

A case usually reaches the Court through a petition for a writ of certiorari.

The general process is:

A lower court issues a decision.
The losing party may ask the Supreme Court to review it.
The party files a petition for certiorari.
The opposing party may file a response.
The Justices consider the petition.
At least four Justices must generally agree to grant review.
If review is granted, the parties file briefs.
The Court hears oral arguments in selected cases.
The Justices confer and prepare opinions.
The Court announces its judgment and publishes the opinion or order.

The Court does not have to accept every case that is appealed to it.

The Supreme Court Term

The Court’s Term begins by law on the first Monday in October and continues until the following Term begins.

During a Term, the Court may:

Hear oral arguments
Issue signed opinions
Issue orders
Decide emergency applications
Consider petitions for certiorari
Hear cases involving constitutional, statutory and federal-law questions

The Court’s official “Supreme Court at Work” page states that thousands of cases are filed each Term, but full oral argument is granted in only a relatively small number. 3

Oral Arguments and Opinions

The Court provides several public resources through its website:

Oral argument calendars
Argument audio
Argument transcripts
Opinions of the Court
Opinions relating to orders
In-chambers opinions
U.S. Reports
Case citation finder
Docket search
Briefs and case documents

The Court does not generally provide live televised video coverage of oral arguments. Audio and transcripts are made available through the official website according to Court procedures.

Officers of the Court

Court officers assist the Justices and support the administration of the institution.

The official About the Court page lists positions such as:

Clerk of the Court
Librarian
Marshal
Reporter of Decisions
Court Counsel
Curator
Public Information Officer
Director of Information Technology
Budget Director
Human Resources Director

As listed on the current official page:

Clerk: Scott S. Harris
Librarian: David S. Mao
Marshal: Gail Curley
Reporter of Decisions: Rebecca A. Womeldorf
Public Information Officer: Patricia McCabe

These are institutional positions and should not be confused with the nine judicial seats.

Supreme Court Building and Public Visits

The Supreme Court Building is located at:

1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543

The building is across from the U.S. Capitol and next to the Library of Congress.

Visitor hours

The official visitor page lists public hours as:

Monday to Friday
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays

Access may change depending on Court proceedings, security requirements and special events. All visitors must pass through security screening. 4

Visitors should check the Court’s homepage and visitor pages before travelling.

Official Contact Details

General Contact

Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543
United States

Main telephone

202-479-3000

Deaf or hard-of-hearing support

202-479-3472

The official contact page states that this support line is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Visitor information

202-479-3030

Opinion announcements

202-479-3360

This is a recorded information line for opinion announcements and related Court information.

Clerk’s Office

202-479-3011

The Clerk’s Office is the relevant contact for many filing, docketing and procedural matters.

Official contact page

Contact Us — Supreme Court of the United States

The Court specifically states that it does not have a public-comment telephone line. General public questions should be directed through the appropriate official contact route rather than by attempting to contact individual Justices. 1

Website and Technical Problems

For technical questions or to report a problem with the official Court website, use the:

Supreme Court Webmaster Contact Form

The Webmaster page requests:

Name
Email address
Subject
Comments or questions
Verification code

The Court asks users not to include personal or sensitive information in the form.

Public Information Office

The Public Information Office handles media-related enquiries.

Main office

202-479-3211

For reporters, the Court’s contact information says to press 1 to reach a staff member.

Office hours

Monday to Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Public Information Office form

Contact the Public Information Office

The current public contact page provides a web form rather than prominently displaying a general public email address. The PIO is responsible for media facilities, press releases, opinion information and reporter assistance. 8

Electronic Filing Support

For technical issues involving the Supreme Court’s electronic filing system:

Phone: 202-479-5660
Email: efilingsupport@supremecourt.gov

This contact is intended for electronic filing support and should not be used for general legal questions or requests for case outcomes.

Official Website and Online Resources

The main website is:

www.supremecourt.gov

Major sections include:

Social Media Information

Official Court Social-Media Presence

The Supreme Court’s official website and contact pages reviewed for this article do not provide a conventional social-media directory like many executive agencies do.

A Google-indexed X profile appears under:

X: @SCOTUS_f

The profile describes itself as the “Official account of The Supreme Court of The United States”, states that it does not collect comments or messages and links to supremecourt.gov. However, the account is not clearly linked from the Court’s official Contact Us or About the Court pages reviewed here.

It should therefore be labelled:

Self-identified official social account — verify independently before relying on it for official communication. 5

The Court does not appear to maintain public personal social-media accounts for the individual Justices.

Unofficial X Account Often Confused with the Court

The handle @USSupremeCourt appears in Google results, but its profile explicitly states:

“Not affiliated with the Court.”

X: @USSupremeCourt

It should not be treated as an official Supreme Court account. 6

Facebook Pages

Google results display several Facebook pages using names such as:

U.S. Supreme Court
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States

These pages are not clearly linked from the Court’s official website and should be treated as unverified or unofficial unless the Court itself confirms them.

Instagram and YouTube

No consistently verified official Instagram or YouTube account for the Supreme Court of the United States was identified in the official website and Google results reviewed for this article.

For official video and audio, use the Court’s own:

Contact-Detail Notes

1. “1 First Street” and “One First Street”

Google and government pages may display the address in two formats:

1 First Street, NE
One First Street, NE

Both refer to the same Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. The official Court contact page uses 1 First Street, NE. 1

2. Official and third-party telephone listings

The current official Court contact page lists:

202-479-3000 — main telephone
202-479-3472 — deaf or hard-of-hearing support
202-479-3011 — Clerk’s Office
202-479-3030 — Visitor Information
202-479-3360 — opinion announcements
202-479-3211 — Public Information Office

The same core numbers also appear in the U.S. government’s USA.gov agency listing. 7

Third-party court directories may display older or incomplete information. The current official Supreme Court contact page should be treated as primary.

3. Public Information Office email

Older official reporter materials and Google-indexed documents may show:

pio@supremecourt.gov

The current Court contact page directs users to a Public Information Office web form. For an urgent media enquiry, the current official telephone number is:

202-479-3211, press 1

4. No public comment line

Search results may lead users to believe that the main Court number accepts comments about decisions or cases. The official Court contact page expressly states that the Supreme Court does not operate a public-comment phone line.

5. Social-media impersonation

Accounts with names such as @USSupremeCourt or “U.S. Supreme Court Official” may not be affiliated with the Court. The profile at @USSupremeCourt itself disclaims affiliation. Official Court filings, opinions and contact information should be obtained from supremecourt.gov.

Some Lesser-Known Facts About the U.S. Supreme Court

The Court began operating in 1790. It was created under Article III of the Constitution and shaped by the Judiciary Act of 1789.
There are nine seats today, but the Constitution does not permanently fix that number. Congress determines the number of Justices through federal law.
The Court has both appellate and original jurisdiction. Most cases are appeals, but a narrow class of disputes begins directly in the Supreme Court.
The Court receives thousands of petitions each Term. Only a small portion receive full oral argument.
The Court’s Term begins in October. It normally continues until the following October.
The Court does not provide general legal advice. Court offices can explain procedures and direct users to official resources, but they do not act as private lawyers.
The Clerk’s Office and Public Information Office serve different purposes. Filing and docket questions should go to the Clerk’s Office, while press enquiries should go to the Public Information Office.
The Court publishes audio and transcripts instead of routinely televising arguments. These materials are available through the official website.
The Court’s official website is the safest source for opinions and orders. Social-media summaries may be incomplete, unofficial or taken out of context.
The individual Justices do not generally operate public official social-media accounts. Institutional and judicial neutrality are important reasons to distinguish official Court communication from unofficial commentary.

Disclaimer

This article is an original informational profile prepared from the official Supreme Court of the United States website, official contact and visitor pages, the Public Information Office, USA.gov and publicly indexed Google search results checked on 10 August 2026.

Contact details, Court officers, visitor access, website features and social-media profiles may change. The official website at supremecourt.gov and the current Contact Us page should always be treated as the final sources.

The Supreme Court does not provide private legal advice or case-specific legal representation. Do not send confidential legal documents, personal information or case arguments through unofficial social-media accounts.

U.S. Supreme Court: History, Justices, Powers, Functions, Contact Details & Social Media