HOW DOES THE SUPREME COURT WORK?
The U.S. Supreme Court is different from all other courts in America. Its job is to test each case against the Constitution. First, the nine judges must want to hear the case. Each term, hundreds of cases are submitted. Just two dozen are heard. If the Supreme Court refuses to hear a case, the lower court's decision is affirmed.
Once the Court decides to hear a case, the lawyer for each side has 30 minutes to speak before the judges. There are no witnesses. No one can interrupt -- except for the judges. They can ask questions. After hearing both sides, the judges go into a room and talk about the case. They are alone, and no recording of any kind is made. In order to reach a decision not all of the judges must agree -- just a majority.
Then, a member of the majority writes the Court's opinion (decision). This takes about a month because all of the majority judges must sign off on the opinion or final rewrite. Any judge that does not agree with it can write his or her own opinion. The Supreme Court's ruling is binding on all other U.S. courts.