How many justices serve on the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court of the United States has nine justices. This number has been established since 1869 and includes one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The structure of having nine justices helps to ensure that there is a majority that can decide cases, which is essential for the functioning of the judicial system.

The decision to maintain nine justices has been influenced by various factors over the years, including the workload of the court and the need for diverse opinions on legal matters. Having an odd number of justices also helps to avoid deadlocks in decision-making, as a tie would not result in a definitive ruling.

While options such as seven, eleven, and thirteen represent different numbers of justices that have been suggested or used in various contexts, none has been the established composition of the Supreme Court in the modern era.