# How many circuit-court judges is a Supreme Court justice "worth?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 23, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133 "2019-08-23T22:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/1 "2019-08-23T22:51:34Z")
It is often said that although SCOTUS gets all the high-profile attention, the circuit-level courts (such as 9th Circuit, DC Circuit, 8th Circuit, etc.) are highly important in their own right because they decide which cases even make it to the Supreme Court to begin with, and [Trump and Mitch have been quietly getting many judges onto such courts.](https://www.thenation.com/article/trump-mcconnel-court-judges-plot/) If there is any ballpark “ratio” that one could calculate, where would it be roughly? Is one Supreme Court justice (such as replacing Ginsburg with a conservative, or Thomas with a liberal) as impactful as, say, getting 10 circuit-court judges replaced with judges of the opposite political stance? 15? 20? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/2 "2019-08-23T23:09:03Z")
200 million ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/3 "2019-08-23T23:15:28Z")
The SC can overrule anything a lower court does. What’s 9 divided by 0? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/4 "2019-08-24T02:00:46Z")
You really ought not minimize the effect the recent packing of the Circuit Courts will have for decades. They’ve been so damned effective, they are running low of right-wingers as they now try to fill up the District Courts. How many appeals do the Circuits hear each year? How many cases do the Supremes grant cert in? And the nominees aren’t just middle-of-the-road conservative tending folk. This is the kinda thing that makes me furious - not only with the idiots who voted for Trump, but also the Bernie morons who stayed home, or Dems who wasted a Green vote. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/5 "2019-08-24T02:05:00Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > You really ought not minimize the effect the recent packing of the Circuit Courts will have for decades. They’ve been so damned effective, they are running low of right-wingers as they now try to fill up the District Courts. > > How many appeals do the Circuits hear each year? How many cases do the Supremes grant cert in? > > And the nominees aren’t just middle-of-the-road conservative tending folk. This is the kinda thing that makes me furious - not only with the idiots who voted for Trump, but also the Bernie morons who stayed home, or Dems who wasted a Green vote. And the judiciary being the ultimate prize is why many may be inspired to vote for Trump regardless of how much of a nut he is. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/6 "2019-08-24T02:06:22Z")
If you can fill the Circuit Courts with the judges you want, they can issue a lot more decisions than the Supreme Court can - while drawing less public attention. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/7 "2019-08-24T02:54:41Z")
And a single SC decision, 5-4 even, can make every circuit judges decision moot. Intermediate appellate court judges. Especially ones who hear appeals from Government bodies and statutory organisations, like the DC Circuit. No doubt influence on law can be enormous. But, there is no “weighing”. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/8 "2019-08-24T03:31:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you can fill the Circuit Courts with the judges you want, they can issue a lot more decisions than the Supreme Court can - while drawing less public attention. Exactly my point (and question.) If offered the choice between one SCOTUS justice and 20 circuit-court judges, which would be the better choice? Purely for hypothetical musings. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-circuit-court-judges-is-a-supreme-court-justice-worth/839133/9 "2019-08-24T06:39:37Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Exactly my point (and question.) If offered the choice between one SCOTUS justice and 20 circuit-court judges, which would be the better choice? > > Purely for hypothetical musings. Just what are you?