How many justices serve on the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court of the United States is composed of nine justices. This number has been established since 1869 and has remained unchanged since then. Each justice is appointed for life, although they can retire or resign, and this structure is outlined in the Judiciary Act of 1869. Having nine justices allows for a diverse range of opinions and helps to ensure that there is a majority decision on cases, which is crucial for maintaining the rule of law and stability in the judicial system. The composition of nine also allows for the Court to effectively handle cases without the potential for tie votes, which could occur if the number of justices were an even number.

In contrast, the choices indicating seven, eight, or ten justices reflect incorrect historical contexts or misunderstandings of the current structure of the Supreme Court.