supreme court

noun, often capitalized S&C

Definition of supreme court

1 : the highest judicial tribunal in a political unit (such as a nation or state)

2 : a court of original jurisdiction in New York state subordinate to a final court of appeals

Examples of supreme court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The supreme courts of Vermont and New Hampshire have acknowledged this principle, but Michigan courts have shrugged. — Christina Martin, WSJ, "For $8.41 in Unpaid Taxes, the Government Took Uri Rafaeli’s House," 7 Dec. 2018 Former vice president of the first supreme court convened by the sSndinistas in 1979 Neither the Ortega administration nor the national police responded to questions about the violence. — Kyra Gurney, miamiherald, "Amid worsening violence, Nicaraguans say crisis has reached 'catastrophic' proportions," 5 June 2018 Their decision was upheld by the state’s supreme court in 2008. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE.com, "Hitman Freed 31 Years After Shooting Millionaire's Estranged Wife in Her Doorway in Murder-for-Hire," 28 May 2018 Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism tried to prohibit double amputees this year, but the country’s supreme court overruled the ban. — Alan Arnette, Outside Online, "The Everest Climbers to Watch This Season," 18 Apr. 2018 But on another front, a new resign-to-run law may mean problems in Scott’s plans to install three new state supreme court justices on his way out the door of the governor’s mansion, the Associated Press’s Gary Fineout reports. — Dan Sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Power Lunch: Just a typical morning in the Trump White House," 13 Mar. 2018 Brazil’s supreme court said President Michel Temer’s bank accounts could be scrutinised in an investigation into possible corruption involving port permits. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 8 Mar. 2018 While the president* was speaking in Cincinnati, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Republicans in Pennsylvania of a ruling by that state’s supreme court that Pennsylvania’s electoral maps were rigged to favor Republicans. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Where Do Republicans Go From Here?," 6 Feb. 2018 As the current supreme court justices begin to retire, Henderson is confident President Donald Trump's replacement will be more conservative. — Jonece Starr Dunigan, AL.com, "Yellowhammer Fund in Tuscaloosa providing financial assistance for abortions," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'supreme court.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for supreme court

supreme court

noun

English Language Learners Definition of supreme court

: the highest court of law in a country or U.S. state

See the full definition for supreme court in the English Language Learners Dictionary

supreme court

noun, often capitalized

Kids Definition of supreme court

: the highest court of law in the United States or in many of its states

supreme court

noun

su·preme court

Legal Definition of supreme court

1 : the highest court in a nation or state specifically, capitalized S&C : the highest court in the judicial branch of the U.S. government that has original jurisdiction over controversies involving ambassadors or other ministers or consuls but whose main activity is as the court of last resort exercising appellate jurisdiction over cases involving federal law

2 capitalized S&C : a court of original jurisdiction in New York

Note: The court of last resort in New York is the Court of Appeals.