Final answer:
Supreme Court justices are appointed for a lifetime term (c) life. The Supreme Court is composed of one chief justice and eight associate justices who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Supreme Court justices are appointed for a term of c) life. This ensures that the justices can make decisions independent of political pressures and with a long-term perspective on legal issues. The current Supreme Court structure consists of b) one chief justice and eight associate justices. Justices are d) nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The idea behind lifetime appointments is that they allow justices to focus on the law rather than on political or personal considerations that might affect their reappointment or election. In contrast to the federal system, some state systems, such as Michigan's Supreme Court, have justices serving fixed terms. However, at the federal level, the number of justices has been set at nine since 1869, and the Constitution does not specify this number; it has changed over time.
One positive aspect of lifetime terms is that they can contribute to a stable and consistent judiciary, while a negative could be the potential for justices to become out of touch with contemporary societal values over time. Legislators have checks over the courts, such as a) Senate approval needed for the justices' appointments.