History of The Supreme Court Blog #3

THE SUPREME COURT

    The United States Supreme Court, also called SCOTUS, is the head of the judicial branch of government, and the highest federal court in the country. They are in-charge of upholding the constitution, as well as having the power to check both of the other branches of government, the executive branch and the legislative branch. In class we talked about the power of the Supreme Court and we're assigned two videos and an article to read and reflect on. 

What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know?

    I learned that their were currently nine Supreme Court Justices, I had always thought their were six and didn't know that it was changed. I also did not know that Congress had the power to organize the structure of the Supreme Court. I think this is important because this is what we refer to as checks and balances. Checks and balances means that the three branches counterbalance one another stone branch does not have more power than the others. Congress having the power to organize the structure of the Supreme Court is an example of checks and balances. 

What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court?

The most important take-away point about the Supreme Court is the power that the Supreme Court holds and how important it is that we have the Supreme Court in the United States. They have ultimate jurisdiction when it comes to laws in the United States and can deem whether these laws are constitutional or not. The Supreme Court protects the freedoms that the constitution has given us, and makes sure that they are not violated in any way. It makes sure that no branch or person is given too much power so our nation has equal control. 

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

The most surprising this that I learned was that the President has authority to nominate new Supreme Court Justices. I did not know that it was the President who nominated individuals into the Supreme Court. This makes me think about how the Supreme Court could be biased based on their political parties or feel obligated to serve a certain political party because they were nominated by a President from that party. 

How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court?

The video changed the way I thought of the Supreme Court because I got to hear from people who served on the Supreme Court first hand. In Supreme Court Pt. 1, one justice said "Being appointed to the Supreme Court is Akin to being struck by lightening".  It was interesting to hear how overwhelming they originally thought it was, and it took at least three years for that feeling to go away. I never thought about how difficult the job must be as a Supreme Court Justice. After the video and being able to see first hand, I now understand the pressure and difficulty of the job. 

Photo: https://news.gallup.com/poll/394103/confidence-supreme-court-sinks-historic-low.aspx