Blog post #2: The Supreme Court

  

            There are nine individuals who make up the highest court in the United States. The powerful statement written on top of the entrance of the Supreme Court, "Equal Justice Under Law," emphasizes the responsibility the Supreme Court has in The United States of America. Below are the history and workings of the Supreme Court: 

Supreme Court Entrance 

After looking through the provided resource, The History Channel  states in 1789 the Supreme Court was established through the Constitution. Congress decided the organization of the Supreme Court resulting in the Judiciary Act of 1789. The first case brought to the Supreme Court was West v. Barnes on August 3, 1791. The justices that make up the Supreme Court are nominated by the President and then confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 

Current Justices 

One thing I learned that I did not know before reading the provided article, is that Engel v. Vitale was ruled by the Supreme Court in 1962. The ruling stated "prayer initiated by and within public schools violates the First Amendment. The justice vote for this case was 6-1.  Engel v. Vitale questioned the boundaries between church and state. Without any knowledge of this case or decision made by the Supreme Court, I assumed that it was just a North Carolina law that schools weren't allowed to hold a prayer. I had no idea that this was a ruling made by the Supreme Court. 

Supreme Court Building 

A shocking fact that I learned through the video provided, is that in Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was impeached in 1805. He is the only justice in history to be removed from the Supreme Court. The House of Representatives accused Samuel Chase of "refusing to dismiss biased jurors and of excluding or limiting defense witnesses in two politically sensitive cases". It was also stated that he had a bitter attitude. It's also quite shocking to know that only one person in history has been impeached. 

Symbol of the Supreme Court 

An important take-away point from the video, is when it was announced that joining the court is a humbling experience. It then mentioned that a justice once said, "being appointed to the Supreme Court is akin to being stuck by lighting". This shows me how tedious the selection process of becoming a member of the Court is for the applicant as well as all the members involved in deciding if the applicant is a good fit for the Supreme Court. It also points out how powerful the Supreme Court as its the most powerful judicial body on earth. 

Supreme Court Courtroom 

After reading the video and article provided, it changed my perspective on the Supreme Court. I now hold a higher level of respect for all the justices. I was shown first how difficult it is to even become a member  of the Supreme Court and the hearings the applicants attend to decide if they are a good fit. Secondly, I was introduced to the tedious work they complete during their service. They get about 7,000 cases a year that ask to be reviewed. With all the work that the Supreme Court is responsible for, many justices keep serving for years until they retire.