Growing up and going to school, I never really thought much about the government or our justice system - let alone how they worked. Before looking into the topic more I had not realized just how much power the U.S. Supreme Court held over our government. The Supreme Court justices are essentially there to draw boundaries on government power, setting precedents and rules telling the president, congress, and the states what they are and are not allowed to do. The Court's power rests entirely on the faith of the public, so it is important to ensure the motive and intentions of the justices sown in to positions on the Supreme Court.
It is important to note that the Court reaches decisions privately. There are no outside opinions or influences tainting the instincts and opinions of the justices before or during their decision making process. The Supreme Court is interpreting a two hundred year old constitution in order to uphold the rule of law. It is also important to remember that presidents are inclined to try and shape the Court through the nominations they make for justices. To best fit their political agenda, presidents are likely to nominate justices with similar views and opinions to their own.
I think the thing that surprised me the most about the Supreme Court is that they receive about one hundred cases per week - or around seven thousand a year. It also surprised me to learn that the justices only meet once a week to discuss cases and decide which ones the Court will accept or decline, as well as to discuss and vote on cases that had previously been argued.
Watching this video (linked below) helped me to better understand the Supreme Court and the ways in which it handles cases, justices, and itself. It was very eye opening to learn more about how just one aspect of our justice system works. It was very enlightening to get more of an understanding of the Court and the ways in which the justices may interpret the laws themselves.
Part 1 of the video:
Part 2 of the video:
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