Blog Post #2 The Supreme Court

Supreme Court Discussion

With the Supreme Court being the highest federal court in the United States and the head of the judicial branch of government, it is important to understand what this court really is and what they do for our country. To start with some background information, the Court's main task is to interpret the meaning of a law and decide whether a law is relevant to the facts presented. Though the Court does not typically hold trials, they rule on how a law should be applied to each case. Since the Supreme Court is the highest court in this country, the inferior courts-94 district level trial courts and 13 courts of appeal-must apply the Supreme Court's interpretation to the facts of a case. The lower courts are required to follow the Supreme court's lead when making any decisions. Our governmental organization is a hefty topic, full of specific rules, strategies, and it is ever-changing. As I read through the description of the SCOTUS and the early days of its existence, I realized that there is a lot about the Supreme Court that I did not originally understand. 

It is important to understand the influence our government has on our daily lives. Realizing that you don't have complete understanding is the first step to educating and familiarizing yourself with that information. During this reading, I learned that the first court was comprised of six justices and Congress altered this number over time. The Supreme Court seats were changed six times, from a low of five to the highest number of seats being ten. Now, the set number of seats is nine which has only been set in stone since 1869. The number of seats remains at nine till this day. I also learned that Supreme Court justices can only be removed from their positions through impeachment. 

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body initiates charges against a government official for misconduct and wrongdoing. This process is enacted by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. Since judges and justices do not have a fixed term, they serve until retirement or death. The Constitution states that justices "shall hold their offices during good behavior". If the House of Representatives and the Senate feels that a justice is not fit for the position anymore, they will move forward with the impeachment process. I had a general understanding of both these subjects, but I enjoyed getting the opportunity to look deeply into the details and make myself aware of the setup and processes of the SCOTUS.

          I found that the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court is understanding the power they have over the United States entire governmental system. The Supreme Court was established by the Constitution and this grants the SCOTUS ultimate jurisdiction over all laws in the United States. Another part of this essential take-away point is that since the justices are put into position until retirement or death, there is no political pressure clouding their judgement while deciding on cases. There is no worry around campaigning or stress about elections, this allows the justices to remain fair and not include political opinions in their thought process. By design, this allows them to apply the law only with justice in mind. Another point that I found important is that even though the Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the country, Congress does have the power to regulate many aspects of the Court's structure and procedures. For example, the Constitution does not set the number of seats in the Supreme Court; it is decided by Congress. Congress ultimately creates laws while the Supreme Court interprets them and decides on the constitutionality of them. These are both crucial take-away points because as Americans we have to understand that the Congress and the Courts are in place to balance each other. 

Through this assignment I have learned so much regarding the structure and set up of the Supreme Court. What surprised me the most about the SCOTUS is that it is responsible for keeping all of the other branches in check. This is in regards to making sure the branches recognize the limits of its power. While this does make sense and can be inferred because the Supreme Court is the highest federal court, it is interesting to look at how it manages itself as well as the inferior courts. To mention another interesting thought about the Supreme Court, it is the highest court in the country and therefore the court of last resort for those looking for justice. Once a case makes it through all of the inferior courts, if there is passion behind that case and justice is needed, it can be brought all the way to the Supreme Court. Some legal issues are so important that they require answers from the highest court in the country. 

After watching the video, my idea of the Supreme Court was greatly changed because originally you don't realize how much power the court really holds. In Part 1 of the video, the narrator explains that the court receives over a hundred new cases every week, making it about 7,000 a year. The court accepts very few cases every year, only about one hundred. This shows the power that the Supreme Court holds. They only take about a hundred cases for full consideration and this shows just how selective the justices are. Reading the articles and doing further research has greatly expanded my knowledge of the Supreme Court. Typically, we are only taught basic facts regarding our government system and this research has opened my eyes to how it really works. It is important to understand who is making the decisions on nation-wide cases.