Question 39 of 100 · 2008 civics test
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
From the 100-question list, the version for applications filed before October 20, 2025.
Current answer
nine (9)
Also accepted: nine, 9
The official list does not print this answer because it changes. USCIS keeps the current one on its test updates page.
Why this is the answer
This is one of the few answers that is a count rather than a fact you can reason out, and USCIS keeps it current on its test updates page instead of printing it in the study booklet. What is worth understanding is the body being counted. The Supreme Court is where the judicial branch ends, and its central power is judicial review: it can decide that a state law or action conflicts with federal law or with the Constitution, and when it does, that state law becomes invalid. The case that established the power was Marbury v. Madison. The Court also decides cases that reshape daily life, as in Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, which ended racial segregation in schools. Memory hook: learn the number that is in force when you study, and learn what the justices actually do.