An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States.The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869.. Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States grants plenary power to the president to nominate, and with …

The Supreme Court of the United States is the only court specifically established by the Constitution of the United States, implemented in 1789; under the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Court was to be composed of six members—though the number of justices has been nine for most of its history, this number is set by Congress, not the Constitution. The court convened for the first …