Blog 2- The Supreme Court

 

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

If I am being completely honest, I did not know a lot about the Supreme Court before watching the videos and reading the article. I have always loved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but I never really knew what she did as an associate justice. I have now learned that the Supreme Court became a "model for courts across the world" (0:54) as it "interprets a 200 year old Constitution, safeguarding liberty, preserving the union, and upholding the rule of law" (1:30). It all begins with a case, which is defined as a "written petition asking the court to act" (0:15). I knew nothing about the process, and it was so interesting to hear how long the process takes, it is understandable why the Supreme Court only takes 100 cases a year for full consideration out of the 7,000 they recieve. 

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

One of the most important key takeaways about the Supreme Court is that the Court is more open than most people think. Some people forget that the Supreme Court justices are people too, "not disembodied spirits" (2:07). It is a much harder job than one would think as it can be extremely taxing and overwhelming. "Being appointed to the Supreme Court is akin to being struck by lightning" (3:22) one justice stated. Some justices have said it can take anywhere from three to five years to get adjusted to the job and environment, while others believe that you "begin to do your work properly when you forget that you're there" (3:45).

What is the most surprising thing you learned?

I learned a lot from the videos on the Supreme Court, and many of the facts were surprising to me. One of the most surprising being that there have only been around 100 Supreme Court justices in the history of the United States, serving an average of 16 years. I honestly thought there would have been many more than that, serving for much shorter amounts of time. Another shocking bit of information was the sheer number of new cases the Supreme Court receives a week. It is understandable that the job can be tiring and overwhelming when the Court can only take about 100 (around 1.5%) of the 7,000 cases they receive a year for full consideration. The final quote that surprised me was when the video states that the United States Supreme Court is "the most powerful judicial body in the world" (1:00). I am not sure how this can be measured or if it is completely true as the quote is coming from a video made by the United States and can therefore be somewhat biased. It is a somewhat surprising claim, but I am not completely sure how it can be supported by facts. 

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

I have always respected our Supreme Court and those who work for it, but I feel as though my level of respect has grown with my knowledge as I now know more and can better appreciate what they do. I had no idea what a tough and time consuming job it is working for the Supreme Court, I now see they deserve more recognition for all that they do.