The Nature & Role of the Supreme Court (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

Exam code: 9PL0

Sarra Jenkins

Written by: Sarra Jenkins

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Updated on

Optional unit

Examiner Tips and Tricks

For Component 3, students only study ONE route: USA Politics (3A) or Global Politics (3B)

The Supreme Court and the Constitution

  • The Supreme Court is established in Article III of the US Constitution, which outlines its core powers and responsibilities

Article III

  • Article III establishes the Supreme Court as the highest court in the federal judiciary

    • It acts as a national body responsible for interpreting federal law and the Constitution

  • The Constitution does not specify the number of Supreme Court justices

    • This power is left to Congress

    • The number of justices has been set at nine since 1869

  • Article III grants justices life tenure, meaning they serve “during good behaviour”

    • Justices remain in office unless they resign, retire, or are impeached and removed

  • Article III protects judicial salaries, which cannot be reduced while justices are in office

    • This protects justices from political pressure by Congress or the President

  • The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in specific cases

    • These include disputes involving ambassadors, public ministers, consuls, and conflicts between states

    • In all other cases, the Court has appellate jurisdiction, allowing it to hear appeals from lower federal courts and state supreme courts on constitutional matters

  • The Constitution implies, but does not explicitly state, the power of judicial review

    • This power allows the Supreme Court to declare acts of Congress or the executive unconstitutional

    • Judicial review was formalised in Marbury v Madison (1803) and Fletcher v Peck (1810)

  • The Supreme Court acts as the final interpreter of the Constitution

    • This gives it significant influence over civil rights and civil liberties through its rulings

Supreme Court independence

  • Judicial independence refers to the Supreme Court being protected from external political pressure when making decisions, particularly from the President and Congress

Diagram showing factors of Supreme Court independence: life tenure, power separation, salary protection, impeachment security, tenure security, judicial norms.
The independence of the supreme court is guaranteed

Independence is protected in several ways

Life tenure

  • Justices are not accountable to voters or politicians once appointed

  • This allows controversial rulings to be made without electoral pressure

    • For example, Obergefell v Hodges (2015) legalised same-sex marriage across the US

Protection of salaries

  • Congress cannot reduce judicial pay to punish unpopular decisions

Separation of powers

  • The judiciary operates independently from the executive and legislative branches

  • The Supreme Court has struck down presidential actions

    • For example, parts of President Trump’s executive actions on electoral procedures were struck down in League of Women Voters Education Fund v Trump (2025)

Security of tenure after appointment

  • Although the appointment process is politically influenced, justices cannot be removed for political reasons once confirmed

    • Chief Justice John Roberts ruled against Republican interests in NFIB v Sebelius (2012) without fear of losing his position

Security of impeachment

  • No Supreme Court justice has ever been removed from office

    • Samuel Chase was impeached in 1805 for partisan behaviour but acquitted, establishing a precedent protecting judicial independence

Judicial norms, including stare decisis

  • Respect for precedent encourages decisions to be based on legal reasoning rather than political preference

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Sarra Jenkins

Author: Sarra Jenkins

Expertise: Content Writer

Sarra is a highly experienced A-Level Politics educator with over two decades of teaching and examining experience. She was part of the team that wrote the Edexcel 2017 Politics Specification and currently works as a Senior Examiner. A published author of 14 textbooks and revision guides, her expertise lies in UK and US politics, exam skills, and career guidance. She continues to teach, driven by her passion for this "evolving and dynamic subject".

Steve Vorster

Reviewer: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.