Blog Post #3: The Supreme Court

 

The judicial, legislative, and executive branches make up the three parts of the U.S. government. Laws are drafted by the legislative branch, put into effect by the executive branch, and then interpreted by the judicial branch to determine whether or not they are constitutional. I was given the opportunity to watch two videos on the Supreme Court ( links will be listed below) and was able to answer the following questions:

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

• Back in high school, I can remember sitting in a classroom and learning about all the government departments and how each of them worked. We never really spent a lot of time on the Supreme Court, but when we did, we would only talk about the historians within the Court; we never talked about what the court's tasks were on a daily basis. There were a lot of things throughout the videos that I did not learn about back in high school. For example, they receive over 100 new cases per week and over 7000 cases per year, and with the amount of work they do on top of taking care of those cases, it can be a lot to manage all the time. It's important to understand the importance of their job and the impact it has on our communities. 

What is the most important takeaway point about the Supreme Court?

• The Supreme Court is a crucial institution in the American government, and that was the main lesson to be learned from the videos about it. The Supreme Court is in charge of determining how the Constitution should be interpreted and whether or not laws are constitutional. Due to the nine justices' lifetime appointments, their decisions may have a lasting impact on American society. The protection of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech and religion, is one of the Supreme Court's most significant responsibilities. Additionally, the court has the authority to invalidate laws that go against these rights. In addition, the Supreme Court has a big influence on American politics and policy-making. Its choices can affect future legislation and public opinion. Overall, understanding the role and importance of the Supreme Court is essential for anyone interested in American politics or law. 

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

• Everything in the video was interesting to learn about, but the thing that surprised me the most was that there were only just over one hundred Supreme Court Justices throughout the history of the US. The other shocking thing that I did not know about was the number of cases they get per week. It's clear that being a Supreme Court Justice is no easy task, but it's also one of the most important and influential positions in American government. 

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

My opinion of the Supreme Court was not changed by the videos that we were required to watch, but I can say that they have earned more respect for me because of everything that they do for us and other people within the US. They fight for someone who was wrongfully convicted. Before watching the videos, I used to think of the Supreme Court as a group of bossy people trying to just get through a case to get it closed. Let me just say my opinion has changed because, after watching the videos, I realized that the people who are within the Supreme Court are just people; they are like us, and they do have a higher power, but that is because they have worked very hard to get that power and are using it for good so they can help the ones that need it. They are not above the law but rather enforce it.