68 U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUAL The library is open to members of the bar of the Court, attorneys for the various Federal departments and agencies, and Members of Congress. Only members of the bar of the Court may practice before the Supreme Court. The term of the Court begins, by law, the first Monday in October of each year and continues as long as the business before the Court requires, usually until about the end of June. Six members constitute a quorum. Approximately 7,000 cases are passed upon in the course of a term. In addition, some 1,200 applications of various kinds are filed each year that can be acted upon by a single Justice. Jurisdiction According to the and Fact, with such Exceptions, and Constitution (art. III, sec. 2), ``[t]he under such Regulations as the Congress judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, shall make.'' in Law and Equity, arising under this Appellate jurisdiction has been Constitution, the Laws of the United conferred upon the Supreme Court by States, and Treaties made, or which shall various statutes, under the authority be made, under their Authority;Ðto all given Congress by the Constitution. The Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;Ðto all basic statute effective at this time in Cases of admiralty and maritime conferring and controlling jurisdiction of Jurisdiction;Ðto Controversies to which the Supreme Court may be found in 28 the United States shall be a Party;Ðto U.S.C. 1251, 1253, 1254, 1257±1259, Controversies between two or more and various special statutes. Congress States;Ðbetween a State and Citizens of has no authority to change the original another State;Ðbetween Citizens of jurisdiction of this Court. different States;Ðbetween Citizens of the Rulemaking Power Congress has from same State claiming Lands under Grants time to time conferred upon the of different States, and between a State, Supreme Court power to prescribe rules or the Citizens thereof, and foreign of procedure to be followed by the States, Citizens or Subjects. lower courts of the United States. ``In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, Pursuant to these statutes there are now other public Ministers and Consuls, and in force rules promulgated by the Court those in which a State shall be Party, the to govern civil and criminal cases in the supreme Court shall have original district courts, bankruptcy proceedings, Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before admiralty cases, appellate proceedings, mentioned, the supreme Court shall have and the trial of misdemeanors before appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law U.S. magistrate judges. For further information concerning the Supreme Court, contact the Public Information Office, United States Supreme Court Building, One First Street NE., Washington, DC 20543. Phone, 202±479±3211. Lower Courts Article III of the Constitution declares, in office during good behavior, with no section 1, that the judicial power of the power in Congress to provide United States shall be invested in one otherwise.'' Supreme Court and in ``such inferior United States Courts of Appeals The Courts as the Congress may from time to courts of appeals are intermediate time ordain and establish.'' The Supreme appellate courts created by act of March Court has held that these constitutional 3, 1891 (28 U.S.C. ch. 3), to relieve the courts ``. .. share in the exercise of the Supreme Court of considering all appeals judicial power defined in that section, in cases originally decided by the can be invested with no other Federal trial courts. They are empowered jurisdiction, and have judges who hold to review all final decisions and certain VerDate 18-JUN-99 11:09 Jul 20, 1999 Jkt 185193 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6997 Sfmt 6997 C:\RECORD\185193.009 pfrm12 PsN: pfrm12 JUDICIAL BRANCH 69 interlocutory decisions (18 U.S.C. 3731; judge of each circuit and a district judge 28 U.S.C. 1291, 1292) of district courts. elected from each of the 12 geographical They also are empowered to review and circuits, together with the chief judge of enforce orders of many Federal the Court of International Trade, serve as administrative bodies. The decisions of members of the Judicial Conference of the courts of appeals are final except as the United States, over which the Chief they are subject to review on writ of Justice of the United States presides. This certiorari by the Supreme Court. is the governing body for the The United States is divided administration of the Federal judicial geographically into 12 judicial circuits, system as a whole (28 U.S.C. 331). including the District of Columbia. Each United States Court of Appeals for the circuit has a court of appeals (28 U.S.C. Federal Circuit This court was 41, 1294). Each of the 50 States is established under Article III of the assigned to one of the circuits, and the Constitution pursuant to the Federal Territories are assigned variously to the Courts Improvement Act of 1982 (28 first, third, and ninth circuits. There is U.S.C. 41, 44, 48), as successor to the also a Court of Appeals for the Federal former United States Court of Customs Circuit, which has nationwide and Patent Appeals and the United jurisdiction defined by subject matter. At States Court of Claims. The jurisdiction present each court of appeals has from 6 of the court is nationwide (as provided to 28 permanent circuit judgeships (179 by 28 U.S.C. 1295) and includes appeals in all), depending upon the amount of from the district courts in patent cases; judicial work in the circuit. Circuit appeals from the district courts in judges hold their offices during good contract, and certain other civil actions behavior as provided by Article III, in which the United States is a section 1, of the Constitution. The judge defendant; and appeals from final senior in commission who is under 70 decisions of the U.S. Court of years of age (65 at inception of term), International Trade, the U.S. Court of has been in office at least 1 year, and Federal Claims, and the U.S. Court of has not previously been chief judge, Appeals for Veterans Claims. The serves as the chief judge of the circuit jurisdiction of the court also includes the for a 7-year term. One of the justices of review of administrative rulings by the the Supreme Court is assigned as circuit Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. justice for each of the 13 judicial International Trade Commission, circuits. Each court of appeals normally Secretary of Commerce, agency boards hears cases in panels consisting of three of contract appeals, and the Merit judges but may sit en banc with all Systems Protection Board, as well as judges present. The judges of each circuit (except the rulemaking of the Department of Federal Circuit) by vote determine the Veterans Affairs; review of decisions of size of the judicial council for the the U.S. Senate Select Committee on circuit, which consists of the chief judge Ethics concerning discrimination claims and an equal number of circuit and of Senate employees; and review of a district judges. The council considers the final order of an entity to be designated state of Federal judicial business in the by the President concerning circuit and may ``make all necessary and discrimination claims of Presidential appropriate orders for [its] effective and appointees. expeditious administration . .'' (28 The court consists of 12 circuit judges. U.S.C. 332). The chief judge of each It sits in panels of three or more on each circuit may summon periodically a case and may also hear or rehear a case judicial conference of all judges of the en banc. The court sits principally in circuit, including members of the bar, to Washington, DC, and may hold court discuss the business of the Federal courts wherever any court of appeals sits (28 of the circuit (28 U.S.C. 333). The chief U.S.C. 48). VerDate 18-JUN-99 11:09 Jul 20, 1999 Jkt 185193 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 6997 Sfmt 6997 C:\RECORD\185193.009 pfrm12 PsN: pfrm12 70 U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUAL Judicial CircuitsÐUnited States Courts of Appeals Circuit Judges Official Station District of Columbia Circuit (Clerk: Mark J. Langer; Circuit Justice Circuit Executive: Jill C. Sayenga; Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist Washington, DC) Circuit Judges Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge Washington, DC Patricia M. Wald Washington, DC Laurence H. Silberman Washington, DC Stephen F. Williams Washington, DC Douglas H. Ginsburg Washington, DC David Bryan Sentelle Washington, DC Karen LeCraft Henderson Washington, DC A. Raymond Randolph Washington, DC Judith W. Rogers Washington, DC David S. Tatel Washington, DC Merrick B. Garland Washington, DC (Vacancy) First Circuit Districts of Maine, New Circuit Justice Hampshire, Massachusetts, Justice David H. Souter Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico (Clerk: Phoebe Morse; Circuit Judges Circuit Executive: Juan R. Torruella, Chief Judge Hato Rey, PR Vincent F. Flanagan; Bruce M. Selya Providence, RI Boston, MA) Michael Boudin Boston, MA Norman H. Stahl Concord, NH Sandra L. Lynch Boston, MA Kermit V. Lipez Portland, ME Second Circuit Districts of Vermont, Circuit Justice Connecticut, northern New Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg York, southern New York, eastern New York, and Circuit Judges western New York Ralph K. Winter, Jr., Chief Judge New Haven, CT (Clerk: Carolyn Clark Campbell; Amalya Lyle Kearse New York, NY Circuit Executive: Karen Milton, John M. Walker, Jr. New Haven, CT Acting ;New York, NY) Dennis G. Jacobs New York, NY Pierre N. Leval New York, NY Guido Calabresi New Haven, CT Jose A. Cabranes New Haven, CT Fred I.