Supreme Court

By watching this video about the Supreme Court, I was able to learn why the Supreme Court is considered the most powerful judicial body on planet Earth. 

It is comprised of 9 justices. There have only been roughly 100 justices since the establishment of the Supreme Court, and they serve an average of 16 years each. Supreme Court justices also serve life terms, meaning they can not only serve for a specific number of years unlike the Executive Branch. 

I was intrigued to learn that not only was Dred Scott was a landmark case, but that the case itself weakened the powers of Congress for years, as it resulted in the idea that Congress could not ban slavery. The Civil War finally brought an end to slavery and also resulted in the establishment of the 14th Amendment. Acting like a 2nd Bill of Rights, the 14th Amendment states that the states could not deny equal protection for any American citizen. 

In total, the United States Supreme Court receives roughly 100 cases per week, totaling out to about 7,000 cases per year. 

No matter the person, whether a convicted felon or the President of the United States, each person gets the same individual consideration when their case is looked upon by the court. 

Also something important from the Supreme Court video is that all 9 justices hear all cases in public, while each side has 30 minutes to argue their point and answer any and all of the justices thoughts and questions. Within a few days following the hearing, the 9 justices meet in a conference to decide the outcome of the case. Prior to each conference, they all shake hands. Once a decision has been made, one justice is required to write an opinion for the reasoning of their decision. 

This opinion essay is usually drafted up and submitted about 4 weeks later. From here, many revisions and adjustments are made, which can go on for several months. Decisions on all cases are they publicly released by the end of the term in late June. 

By learning all the small intricate details about the Supreme Court I feel like I am finally able to understand how each landmark case is thoroughly talked about and furthermore the amount of time it takes for a conclusion to occur. The process now seems much more difficult and knowing that we as Americans put all our trust into these 9 justices to decide the right thing is what makes it so extraordinary. 

The power of the court is trust, trust earned by the American people.