The staff of the United States Supreme Court has traditionally been long tenured, low profile, and reliable in supporting the chief justice and associate justices. Employees have fed upon, and in turn strengthened, the Court's mystique of independence, mystery, and power. The movement of the Court to its own building in 1935 saw its institutionalization. Previously, the nine justices functioned out of their homes, with almost no staff, and came to the Capitol to hear oral arguments and hold conferences.
The 2003 salaries and expense budget of $45.5 million supports up to 421 permanent staff, as compared with 221 positions in 1970 and 319 positions in 1990. During the last three decades, the demands of an expanded caseload and increased security and automation requirements have caused the increase (see Workload). The Court staff continues to be small, however, compared to the 22,000‐person congressional staff.
Most Court employees work under one of the five statutory Court officers. With a staff of three and several interns, the administrative assistant to the chief justice (a position created in 1972) assists the chief justice in nonadjudicatory responsibilities, including the internal management of the Court, the coordination of the Court's relatively independent offices, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the Federal Judicial Center, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (see Administration of Federal Courts). The administrative assistant also serves as liaison with the executive and legislative branches, state and private organizations, and the Smithsonian Institution, and assists in the preparation of addresses and publications. The personnel and budget functions of the Court are supervised by this office.
The clerk of the Court (a position created in 1790) supervises twenty‐five employees who administer dockets and calendars, record petitions and briefs, prepare order lists and journals, notify of judgments, collect fees, admit attorneys to the Supreme Court Bar, and advise lawyers on procedure. An automated response system was installed in the clerk's office in 1994. It enables telephone callers to ascertain the status of cases on the docket without speaking to an employee. The Court's Web site (http://www.supremecourtus.gov) and intranet have been instrumental in improving the efficiency of the clerk's office and the Court. The public now has electronic access to numerous items such as the docket, argument calendar, and opinions. A new automated docket system has enabled the clerk's office to manage the Court's growing caseload more efficiently.
The reporter of decisions (a volunteer from 1790 to 1816, when Congress set the reporter's salary) supervises eleven people who are responsible for editing and printing the opinions of the Court.
The marshal (a position created in 1867) supervises 227 Court employees, in addition to 33 maintenance employees from the office of the architect of the Capitol. The marshal's staff handles procurement, security, and physical facilities.
The librarian (a position created in 1887) supervises a staff of twenty‐six, including seven professional research librarians who manage approximately half a million volumes, a multitude of databases, interlibrary loans, and research (see Library).
Other Court staff work for relatively new or expanded offices under the direction of the chief justice. The legal office (created in 1973) includes two attorneys, who typically serve several years, and a paralegal specialist/secretary. In contrast to the annually rotating law clerks, this office provides continuity with unusual procedural issues and serves as in‐house counsel. These attorneys prepare memoranda for all justices on original cases, reapplications, and motions for extraordinary relief. On request, these attorneys assist with circuit work and special research.
The public information officer (a position created in 1935) supervises a staff of four, distributes slip opinions, maintains a press room and broadcast booths, and responds to queries other than interpretation of opinions and orders.
The curator's office (created in 1974) with six assistants plus interns supervises the Court's historical papers and collections, develops exhibits, and provides tours.
The data systems office (created in 1985) with twenty‐nine employees provides technological support, including several word processing systems and electronic typesetting of all Court opinions, for the justices' chambers and other Court offices. The data system staff develops, implements, and maintains many software applications throughout the Court, including large and complex database applications supporting a myriad of functions from financial management to legal research.
— Mark W. Cannon
