The Supreme Court

 

The judicial branch is as vital a branch of government as both the executive and legislative. The cruciality of the Supreme Court is often overlooked in comparison to that of the US Senate, House of Representatives, or role of the Presidency. After watching the "History and Workings of the U.S. Supreme Court" and reading the article titled "Supreme Court" from the History Channel, I have come to understand just how crucial the Supreme Court is in our governmental processes and to uphold the justice system of the US.

Before this research, I viewed the Supreme Court as more decorative, and saw judicial review as a check and balance used rarely to rein in the powers of the legislative and executive branches. After watching the video, I learned that the SC is the most powerful court in the country, and this power extends over every law of the US. 

The video outlined the three main goals that the Supreme Court was founded upon:

1. Safeguarding liberty
2. Preserving the union
3. Upholding the government of law

Established in 1789, and organized through the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Supreme Court was bestowed its powers by the US Constitution. I learned that there were originally six justices, including the Chief Justice, but that there are now nine justices serving on the Court. Another interesting fact that I encountered while watching the video was that out of the 7,000 cases the Supreme Court receives each year, they accept about 100. I was not aware that the Court is able to review and decide this large number of cases yearly. I now understand why each Justice has a staff supporting them, to ease the workload. I found it admirable though when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remarked on camera that each Justice works tirelessly to review the case information themselves, and write the Court's reasoning and opinion after a decision is made. 

After taking a Criminal Evidence class last semester, I read about 2-3 Supreme Court cases a week, and read many Court decision explanations. It was both surprising and commendable to learn that each explanation is written and edited by the Justices. I believe that their ability to review, revise, amend and draft the opinion and dissent is crucial to providing Americans details into the Court's process behind the case, and offer the minority side a chance of rebuttal.