Question 53 of 128 American Government

How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

Q: How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

There are nine (9) seats on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has one Chief Justice and eight associate justices. Congress set the number at nine in 1869.

Answers USCIS accepts

Nine (9)

Give any one of these answers at your interview.

There are nine (9) seats on the Supreme Court.

What it means

The Supreme Court has one Chief Justice and eight associate justices. Congress set the number at nine in 1869.

Remember: 9 justices, and 5 are usually needed to decide a case.

West facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., with marble columns and the words Equal Justice Under Law — The U.S. Supreme Court building, the highest court in the United States. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress (public domain).

Memory tip: 9 justices on the Supreme Court.

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How many seats are on the Supreme Court?

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Official source: USCIS M-1778 (09/25), 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version). Last checked: 2026-10-31.