<P> The Supreme Court of the United States ( sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS ) is the highest federal court of the United States . Established pursuant to Article Three of the United States Constitution in 1789 , it has ultimate ( and largely discretionary ) appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and state court cases involving issues of federal law plus original jurisdiction over a small range of cases . In the legal system of the United States , the Supreme Court is generally the final interpreter of federal law including the United States Constitution , but it may act only within the context of a case in which it has jurisdiction . The Court may decide cases having political overtones but does not have power to decide nonjusticiable political questions , and its enforcement arm is in the executive rather than judicial branch of government . </P>
what is the supreme court 's major power
it has ultimate ( and largely discretionary ) appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and state court cases involving issues of federal law