History of the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Reflection

Even though the Supreme Court has become a model for high courts around the world, the Supreme Court Justices are still people and have their own issues too. I do feel like a lot of people villianize some Justices because of their role in the United States government, but I also think that we have to remember that they're people too. 

They seem to have a lot to deal with, as they receive 7000 cases a year. They only take about 100 of those 7000 cases for full consideration. I wonder how they decide which cases to take and which to drop, because they must have people that get upset if their case isn't taken; the Supreme Court has the ability to pick and choose which cases to take. 

I think that the Justices in the U.S. are also extremely respectful of each other; before any conference, they shake each other's hands. They also have a rule that in conferences, "everybody speaks once before anybody speaks twice"- that shows extreme restraint and respect towards everyone in the conference and  also gives them the opportunity to all share facts and state their opinions before anyone elaborates more. 

The Supreme Court Justices interpret a 200-year old Constitution. There have been just over 100 Supreme Court Justices in the United States; they are the ones who converse and make the decisions. The public does not have direct ability to provide their opinion by voting in the ballot box, which can be aggravating for those who have strong opinions on the cases that the Court takes. 

The Court's authority wasn't always accepted, and it must have been difficult for both the Justices and the individuals to change their ways. The Court is supposed to draw the boundaries of the government's power and when they take a case, it is on the air very soon after to let the individuals know how their lives can be affected. 

In the two videos that we watched in class, the narrator said, "The power of the Court is the power of trust earned by the American people." This shows that the Supreme Court gets their power from individuals in our country; without the trust of the American people, the Supreme Court would not be able to function as heavily as it does.