Offers of appointment to a federal court were declined by William Howard Taft.
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest federal court of the United States .. United States. United States. highest. Supreme court. federal court of the United States. Federal judiciary of the United States. Established pursuant to Article III of the United States Constitution in 1789 , it has ultimate -LRB- and largely discretionary -RRB- appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and over state court cases involving issues of federal law , plus original jurisdiction over a small range of cases .. United States. United States. United States Constitution. United States Constitution. Article III of the United States Constitution. Article III of the United States Constitution. discretionary. Procedures of the Supreme Court of the United States. appellate jurisdiction. appellate jurisdiction. state court. State court ( United States ). federal law. law of the United States. original jurisdiction. original jurisdiction. In the legal system of the United States , the Supreme Court is generally the final interpreter of federal law including the United States Constitution , although it may act only within the context of a case in which it has jurisdiction .. United States. United States. United States Constitution. United States Constitution. federal law. law of the United States. legal system of the United States. Law of the United States. The Court does not have power to decide political questions , and its enforcement arm is in the executive rather than judicial branch of government .. its enforcement arm. United States Marshals Service. According to federal statute , the Court normally consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate .. United States. United States. Senate. United States Senate. Chief Justice of the United States. Chief Justice of the United States. associate justices. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President. President of the United States. Once appointed , justices have life tenure unless they resign , retire , or are removed after impeachment -LRB- though no justice has ever been removed -RRB- .. life tenure. life tenure. impeachment. Impeachment in the United States. In modern discourse , the justices are often categorized as having conservative , moderate , or liberal philosophies of law and of judicial interpretation .. conservative. Conservatism in the United States#Courts. moderate. moderate. liberal. Liberalism in the United States#Courts. philosophies of law. Philosophy of law. judicial interpretation. judicial interpretation. Each justice has one vote , and while many cases are decided unanimously , the highest profile cases often expose ideological beliefs that track with those philosophical or political categories .. highest. Supreme court. The Court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Washington , D.C.. Supreme Court Building. United States Supreme Court Building. The Supreme Court is sometimes colloquially referred to as SCOTUS , in analogy to other acronyms such as POTUS .. acronyms. acronyms. POTUS. President of the United States