There are nine total justices on the Supreme Court. They are some of the most powerful men and women not only in America but in the world.

It's true. When it comes to judicial matters, there's no court that wields more power than the Supreme Court. This court has the ability to shape much of constitutional law.

The Supreme Court is mostly a court of appeals. It's the where cases wind up when lower courts have failed to resolve them.

Supreme Court justices serve for life. It's why their appointments are so critical to the balance of U.S. politics -- one very liberal or conservative justice can swing votes and alter the fabric of American life.

It took two centuries for the U.S. to finally elevate a woman to the Supreme Court. In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor took her seat, thank to her appointment by Ronald Reagan.

Each year, about 7,500 cases do their best to push their issues into the Supreme Court. Only about 80 or so will actually make it.

In U.S. history, only 17 people have served as Chief Justice. Currently, that honor goes to John Roberts, who took his seat in 2005.

There are currently three female Supreme Court justices. They are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.

Article III, section 1 of the Constitution formed the Supreme Court in 1789. It is one of the three major branches of the federal government.

Justices are too busy to immediately delve into every detail of every case. So their hand-picked clerks prepare detailed memos that highlight each case's vital points. Then, justices hear oral arguments.

Supreme Court justices always don black robes before they enter the courtroom. No one knows the origin of this tradition, but it may be rooted in a desire for modesty of power.

Ginsburg is known for her liberal stance on many cases. She graduated at the top of her class at Colombia Law School and became a justice in 1993.

In 2005, George W. Bush nominated Roberts to the Supreme Court. He sailed through his confirmation hearings, in part by demonstrating a powerful grasp of Supreme Court history and precedent.

Patriot John Jay was the court's first Chief Justice. He had the seat from 1789 to 1795. Then, he became governor of New York.

After years of preparation, lawyers have about 30 minutes to present their arguments to the justices. That time includes any questions the justices might have regarding the issues at hand.

Each year, justices had to work at each of the circuit courts around the country, an agonizing ordeal in the days where there were no planes or even cars. The practice was finally stopped in 1891.

William Taft was U.S. president from 1909 to 1913. Then he went on to join the Supreme Court, where he served as Chief Justice for nine years.

As she was nominated by President Reagan, you can imagine that O'Connor normally sided with conservative causes in the cases she heard. Later in life, she occasionally took a more liberal perspective in court.

Roberts was the youngest Chief Justice in the court's history. He was just 50 years old when he took his seat.

Justices take their seats by seniority. Chief Justice John Roberts, of course, sits in the middle.

For many, it's a career-making gig. Many of the court's clerks are recent law school graduates. These men and women work closely justices to clarify cases prior to decisions.

Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016, was a strongly conservative justice. He often wrote separate opinions that lambasted people and subjects with very harsh language.

Terry has the distinction of being the only justice targeted by an assassination attempt … a successful one. He was killed by the bodyguard of a man in who had confronted Terry himself in a contentious court case.

In all, two men of African-American descent have made it to the court. In 1967, Thurgood Marshall broke the color barrier, in 1991, Clarence Thomas succeeded him.

Neil Gorsuch was chose to replace Antonin Scalia in 2016. He was nominated by President Trump and took his seat in early 2017.

Historians separate each court era by its Chief Justice. So, since there have been 17 Chief Justices, there have also been 17 Supreme Courts.

Ginburg grabbed headlines in 2018 -- and cheered the hearts of American women -- when she declared that she'd like to serve on the court until she's at least 90 years old. Her presence helps to balance out the male-dominated court.

In 1789, Chief Justice made about $4,000 per year. These days, the job definitely pays better, at around $270,000 per year … almost enough to rent a two-bedroom apartment in D.C.'s exorbitantly priced housing market.

It took the court just one day to decide West v. Barnes. The case covered a financial dispute between a farmer and a landowner.

Chase was appointed to the court by none other than George Washington. He was impeached because people suspected he was letting his political beliefs affect his courtroom judgement, but he was later cleared.