2025 civics test · Question 53 · System of Government
How many seats are on the Supreme Court?
Official answer
- Nine (9)
What this means
There are nine seats on the Supreme Court: one chief justice and eight associate justices.
Justices are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate. Once confirmed they serve for life, which is meant to keep them independent of politics: they do not have to win elections or please anyone to keep the job.
Did you know? The number nine is not written in the Constitution. Congress sets the size of the Supreme Court by law. The number changed six times before settling at nine in 1869, so USCIS treats this as an answer that could change.
Answer: nine (9).
Why this is on the test
The number of justices is set by Congress rather than by the Constitution, which is why USCIS treats it as an answer that could change.
How this question is asked
On the 2025 civics test, the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions out loud and you pass by answering 12 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
Related questions
More from System of Government.
- 16 Name the three branches of government.
- 17 The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
- 18 What part of the federal government writes laws?
- 19 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
- 20 Name one power of the U.S. Congress.
- 21 How many U.S. senators are there?