U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest federal court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of government. As a member of the Supreme Court, their job is to evaluate laws and decide if it is constitutional or not. These nine justices also have the power to check the actions of the other two branches of government - the executive branch of the president and the legislative branch of Congress.

This information is not new to me, however, there are some facts that I was unaware of before learning more about the Supreme Court. For example, in the early years, the Supreme Court originally decided to meet on February 1, 1790, but due to transportation issues, the meeting was pushed back to the next day. When they met, they didn't discuss any cases but instead focused on working out organizational procedures. This was a shock to me because I expected the first meeting to discuss cases, not procedures. However, it makes sense that cases couldn't be discussed without order and procedure to do so. 

The most important takeaway to understand about the Supreme Court is it has the power to ensure people have equal justice under the law, and thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution. Each law must go through the Supreme Court in order to be considered just or unconstitutional. It is the living interpretation of the Constitution and its role is to serve as the voice for the American people. 

The most shocking information I learned about the Supreme Court is about the Chief Justice. In cases where the Chief Justice is a member of the majority opinion, the justice has the authority to assign who will write the court's opinion. I didn't know this prior to when I learned about it because I didn't consider what would happen if the Chief Justice is a member of the majority opinion. This information was shocking because I didn't acknowledge this situation. 

The video made me realize how powerful the U.S. Supreme Court is. In the first minute of the video, the Supreme Court is called the most powerful Judicial body on earth. Their power rests on public faith in their independence and impartiality. 

I wish to learn more about the Supreme Court because I haven't had the opportunity to research these topics on my own. Prior to taking this course, I had not thought to study our government and it's role in our everyday lives. I now realize the role politics play in my life and how important it is to understand your rights as an American citizen. Moving forward, I plan to show more interest in the news and government activities.