Blog Post #2: The Supreme Court

(Free stock photos, pngs, templates & mockups).

 During my sophomore year of high school, I had to take two semester's worth of American History classes, and out of all the things I learned that year, the one that stuck with me was the legal case of Marbury v. Madison. I always remembered that the Supreme Court had an undeniable ability to set legal precedents and interpret the law like no other legal court on Earth can do. But, after watching these videos, I realized that I had misunderstood how the Supreme Court uses its power and how the American public has misjudged what the nine justices do. 

What I Learned About the Supreme Court

(Checks and Balances Image).

After watching the videos on the Supreme Court and reading through the article about the Supreme Court, I gained new perspectives on the court that I had not considered before. The first thing that stuck out to me was when the video stated that the Supreme Court's "power rests on public faith" (Comm3390 Supreme Court, pt. 1). I find this to still be true to this day because if the public does not have faith in or believe in the strength of the Supreme Court to adjudicate for the Constitution, then we have lost a pillar of our country. I feel like a lot of people saw that last summer when our current Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and there were widespread protests across the country and new calls to "pack the court." That entails disposing of the odd number of justices, nine, and creating an even number, which would politicize the court and make it harder to find fairness and no bias in the law. 

 

Something else that I enjoyed learning about in the video was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's experience of presenting in front of the court for the first time. I can't even begin to understand how nervous she felt, but then she explained that it dawned on her, two minutes in, that she had their complete and undivided attention for thirty minutes. It made me feel grateful that we have a court in this country comprised of highly educated individuals willing to sit and listen to both sides for about an hour and then ask hard but essential questions to provide a fair and just ruling. Before watching those videos, I had yet to consider how long the process takes or the differences between the Supreme Court and a typical court. 

 

(William Howard Taft).

The final information I learned from the article was that a former U.S. president has served as a Supreme Court Justice. I had read about President Taft before, but I never learned that he was also a member of the Supreme Court. He must have been an extraordinarily admirable and well-respected leader to have been in both important positions.

 

 

 

The Importance of the Supreme Court

If there is one thing to be understood about the Supreme Court, it is that it is vital to this country. It contributes to our system of checks and balances and keeps the U.S. Constitution at the forefront of our country's laws. The most important takeaway for me was that as the Supreme Court grows older and hears more and more cases, this becomes its advantage. The justices learn from their past rulings, and the importance of the Constitution becomes even more prevalent. In the interview with A.E. Dick Howard, they state that they have "200 years of history, of detachment, in which we can see the folly of some ideas, the wisdom of others" (Comm3390 Supreme Court, pt. 1). The nine justices continually learn from previous or overturned legal precedent, and this helps them use the Constitution and learn from what the Founding Fathers intended our country to stand for.

A Surprise from the Supreme Court

(Comm3390 Supreme Court, pt. 1).

 The most surprising takeaway from the video I got was the sheer volume of petitions the court receives each year, and they only end up hearing a small portion of them. A lot of pressure falls on deciding which cases they feel have validity, and it makes me wonder if that causes them to overthink situations or regret their decisions later on. I guess it would be impossible to know if you made the right decision, and they just have to hope that they are doing their jobs the best they can and upholding the Constitution.  

 

In Conclusion

In closing, I learned a lot from the two videos and the article, and it also helped me gain a new perspective. I respect how hard they all have to work to garner that position and how they are always at risk of public scrutiny, but they must remain firm in their beliefs, stay without bias, and uphold their Constitution. When watching the video, it was nice to see how they all have mutual respect and get along well outside of the "work" setting. I also enjoyed seeing how open they are with the work they have to do and letting the American people see how their processes work. There is a total show of transparency. I always thought very highly of the Supreme Court, but after watching these videos and reading the article, I find their work interesting.

Works Cited

“Checks and Balances Image.” Newsela, newsela.com/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2024.

“Comm3390 Supreme Court, Pt. 1.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRoXYRsaeo.

“Comm3390 Supreme Court, Pt. 2.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8qSuWxcG8.

“Free Stock Photos, Pngs, Templates & Mockups.” Rawpixel, www.rawpixel.com/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2024.

“Supreme Court.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/supreme-court-facts. Accessed 21 Jan. 2024.

“William Howard Taft.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 4 Dec. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/William-Howard-Taft.