The U.S. Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the federal court system, meaning that it is a court from which no appeal is possible. The Supreme Court has one chief justice and eight (8) associate justices. Supreme Court justices are nominated/appointed by the President of the United States and fixed (confirmed/ approved) by the U.S. Congress. Once confirmed by Congress and officially appointed to their position on the U.S. Supreme Court, justices remain for life and may not be removed so long as they maintain "good behavior." This design is met to free the justices from unhealthy political influences that could taint the way they rule on cases they review. For the most part the Supreme Court has great discretion when deciding which cases they will hear and rule on. The Court exercises this discretion through the granting of a "writ of certiorari." Please discuss what a writ of certiorari is and the process known as the "rule of four". Finally, please research (google) and identify the 9 current U.S. Supreme Court Justices. Do you have a favorite