Nominating justices to the US supreme court is a responsibility with far-reaching consequences – one of the most potent in a president’s armoury. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APThe supreme court is currently split evenly between conservatives and liberals. Faced with 8,000 petitions a year, the full court of nine justices considers around 100 cases a term. People who don’t win in legislatures will often try to force an issue on the supreme court – if the judges are willing to hear it. Some presidents never get to appoint a supreme court judge, but Trump will be able to choose at least one – a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative.

Source: The Guardian November 13, 2016 00:05 UTC