A court is a place where people, businesses and the government settle disputes through legal processes. If someone accuses another of a crime, for example, the courts decide whether that person did it or not and, if they do, how much punishment to give them. Courts also rule on civil lawsuits — where one person or business sues another for wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States, hears only a small number of cases each year that come from other federal courts and state courts around the country. The Justices must exercise restraint in choosing what to take on, because the Constitution limits them to deciding “Cases and Controversies.”
Court decisions can have major impacts on countless lives — not just those involved in a particular case. They can set legal precedents that affect entire legal systems, and prompt social change.
In the words of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a court is “an institution recognized by the people to decide their private and public disputes impartially and authoritatively.” Without a court system, people would have to take matters into their own hands and decide whether a person had committed a crime and, if so, what to do about it.
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