Question: what do justices do in the supreme court

title: Appointment and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States
text: Before 1981 the approval process of Justices was usually rapid . From the Truman through Nixon administrations , Justices were typically approved within one month . From the Reagan administration to the present , however , the process has taken much longer . According to the Congressional Research Service , the average number of days from nomination to final Senate vote since 1975 is 67 days ( 2.2 months ) , while the median is 71 days ( or 2.3 months ) . Some believe this is because Congress sees Justices as playing a more political role than in the past . The perceived politicization of the process has drawn criticism . For example , columnist George F. Will termed the defeat of Robert Bork 's nomination `` unjust '' and , more generally , that the nomination process does `` not delve deeply into the nominee 's jurisprudential thinking . '' Supreme Court nominations have caused media speculation about whether the judge leans to the left , middle , or right . One indication of the politicized selection process is how much time each nominee spends being questioned under the glare of media coverage ; before 1925 , nominees were never questioned ; after 1955 , every nominee has been required to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer questions ; and the hours spent being grilled have lengthened from single digits ( before 1980 ) to double digits today . Another example of the politicization of the process was the Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination , which remained before the Senate far longer than any other nominee .