U.S. Supreme Court

In Brief

The Supreme Court of the United States is the nation's highest judicial body. Its nine justices serve life terms and are appointed by the president of the United States with the concurrence of the U.S. Senate. The nomination and confirmation of new justices is always accompanied by political maneuvering and sometimes heated debates as the high court's rulings can fundamentally influence many aspects of American social, political and economic life. Brookings experts examine many of the political and procedural issues connected to the court.

Job recruiter Nickole A. James (R) speaks with job seeking students during a career job fair at American University in Washington (REUTERS/Jose Luis Magana).

Article

What Should the Supreme Court Do About Affirmative Action?

May 20, 2013, Henry J. Aaron

Affirmative action in education has returned to the Supreme Court docket, renewing assessments of whether affirmative action is constitutional, fair and effective in its goals. Henry Aaron offers a review of affirmative action's history in court and delivers thorough analysis of the social science research debating whether or not preferential admissions in higher education achieves its goals.

Recent Activity

Refine by: U.S. Judiciary | Courts | U.S. Politics | Law and Justice

Opinion | Washington Post

Let’s Go Down the Aisle Toward Legalized Pot

April 5, 2013, Jonathan Rauch
Blog Post

Redirecting Students to Less Demanding Colleges Not a Strategy for Success in the Sciences

March 13, 2013, Matthew M. Chingos | comments
Blog Post

Are Minority Students Harmed by Affirmative Action?

March 7, 2013, Matthew M. Chingos | comments
Blog Post

The Supreme Court Takes Up Same-Sex Marriage

December 11, 2012, Jonathan Rauch | comments
Opinion | Forbes

Are We All Copyright Infringers?

October 28, 2012, John Villasenor
In the News

I have no doubt the next president will decide what happens to Roe v. Wade by his appointments to the Supreme Court.
October 3, 2012, Elisabeth Jacobs, Glamour
Expert Q & A

Preview of New Supreme Court Term

September 28, 2012, Russell Wheeler
Past Event

Web Chat: Health Care and the States

July 11, 2012
In the News

[Mitt Romney] belongs to a very conservative party that hates this [health care] bill, many members of which have sworn that they’d rather eat ground glass than let this law go forward. But there is the conflicting problem of, ‘If you break it, you own it.’ [He will own] anything that goes wrong with the health-care system down the road.
July 10, 2012, Henry J. Aaron, Washington Post
Blog Post

States and the Affordable Care Act: An Offer They (Still) Can’t Refuse

July 2, 2012, Tracy Gordon | comments