Blog Post #2

 The Supreme Court 

After watching the videos, I learned many things I didn’t know about the Supreme Court. For the more general side, I did not realize that, at first, all nine Supreme Court justices read the cases in a quiet room together. I thought they were presented to them in court, and then they went privately to debrief them. But they deliberate and reach their decisions in private, but they have already seen the case. They tell Congress, the government, and the states what they may or may not do. The justices of the president are appointed by the Senate, and they are confirmed. I found it interesting how they say it will take three to five years to not be nervous anymore. 

I also didn’t know much about the history of the Supreme Court; it took years for the Supreme Court to get respect as a co-equal branch of government. Twenty years after it was made, abolishing slavery was the most significant issue the court had to face, which was solved by the Civil War. It was then stated that due process or equal protection of the law is given to any citizen. John Marshall was the fourth chief justice of the United States, and because of him, the court now solves significant events. 

           

The justices were talking about what they do and the differences in their answers, but they all agreed on the fundamentals of what they are trying to do. The differences include saying the Constitution is apparent in a broad view, and there is now a difference in interpretive philosophy. They also went back and forth about how the Constitution has changed. After the Civil War, adding the 14^th and 19th Amendments differed from what it once was because of the people. 

I was surprised that the justices could not bring their problems to the court. They must wait for the people to get those problems to the court. I was aware that the judges have their own opinions and beliefs, but those like RBG, who impacted women’s rights in cases like Roe v. Wade, had to wait for cases like that to come along and make their mark. I think that the most important takeaway was how there are still hundreds of cases a week that the Supreme Court goes through to interpret the Constitution in different ways. Still, after two hundred years, some parts of our constitution must be expanded. 

The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the world, and the two videos put that into perspective while also explaining what it is, what the justices do, how the cases are chosen, etc. They have paved our history and continue to help hear our people's voices while bringing justice. Interpreting law, its meaning, and how it should be applied creates monumental changes in our nation's history.