When was the US Supreme Court established and what was its purpose?

Answer 1

The US Constitution, ratified by the states on June 21, 1788, became operational on March 4, 1789. Article III of the Constitution required the new government to establish a Supreme Court and whatever lower federal courts it felt were needed to handle "cases and controversies" involving Federal Laws, treaties, and constitutional issues.

The Constitution designated the Supreme Court as the highest court of the federal court system, but apart from listing the classes of cases the Court could hear under original (trial) jurisdiction and appellate (appeals) jurisdiction, the document was silent on the specific tasks the court would perform. Much of this was established by Congress and by the Supreme Court justices over time.

The First Congress of the US created the Supreme Court and a small federal court system (the Judicial Branch) when they passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 on September 24, 1789. President Washington nominated six justices -- one Chief Justice, and five Associate Justices -- the same day. The Senate approved Washington's choices by voice vote (no recorded count) two days later, on September 26, 1789. The Court met for the first time on February 2, 1790.