Supreme Court: What is It?

 

Summary:

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal government. It reviews decisions made by other branches of the government and lower court decisions, determining whether it is constitutional or not. The Supreme Court Consist of nine justices who review petitions that have a broad range of subjects. Only a small percentage of the petitions that are sent in to be reviewed actually make it to the justices.

History:

1801 is a date that goes down in history for the Supreme Court. This is the year that John Marshal was nominated as Chief Justice for the Supreme Court. He set a precedent for future Supreme Court decisions through the Marbury v Madison case. Marshal was the first to correct an unconstitutional act done by congress, demonstrating the power that the Supreme Court had.

This power was later challenged by the court case Dred Scott v Sandford. Slavery was a large issue across the states, eventually leading to the Civil War where it was eventually Abolished. The constitution was then amended, upholding the constitution and giving rights to people who previously didn't have them.

How Does it Work? 

The Supreme Court can receive around 100 cases every week or 7000 every year. These cases typically consist of complaints on a lower court decision being unconstitutional. Once a week, a select few of these cases are sent to the justices to be reviewed. 

People take comfort in this because the Supreme Court doesn't take action until a problem is presented to them. They hear cases in public as well, letting oral argument to occur to give new information about the issue presented to the court.

After a few days, the justices come together and vote on the case. A justice from the majority vote is assigned to write opinion or reasoning as to why the decision was made. This can be drafted multiple times and have multiple revisions and adjustments until a final draft is decided. The decisions is then sent to a public information officer who shares copies to the press, making the final decision fully public.

Thoughts?

I believe that the supreme court is a necessity for the US government to run as affectively as it does. This prevents any major political grab to occur and a mostly fair system be in place for the citizens of the country. It is important to remember that the Supreme Court does consist of people and not just numbers for a vote. 

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