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U.S. Supreme Court / Special Courts

The U.S. Supreme Court consists of nine justices, appointed for life by the president, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. The Supreme Court holds one term annually, commencing on the first Monday in October.

The U.S. Congress has authorized the Court to review decisions of the lower federal courts and the highest courts of the states. For chart showing structure of the U.S.court system, click here.

Special Courts in the federal system include U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. Court of International Trade, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Court of Appeals for Armed Forces, U.S. Tax Court, and Appeals Court, Veterans Claims. Additional information on these courts is included herein.

Like U.S. Supreme Court justices (and U.S. appellate and district judges), the judges of the U.S. Court of International Trade are appointed for life and subject to Senate confirmation. The judges on the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. Tax Court, and Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims are appointed for limited terms and not subject to Senate confirmation.