All about The Supreme Court

 

All about The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial body in the world. It was designed to protect American citizens’ rights and liberties under our United States Constitution. The members gather in a courtroom to hear and discuss certain court cases that require a constitutional interpretation. Not all cases are taken to this end of the road judicial body, only ones that contain a constitutional question. The Supreme Court Protects the civil rights and the personal liberties of American citizens.  It handles cases involving principles, values, and the peoples’ rights often regarding political and social issues.  

 

One area of the Supreme Court that I was not familiar with is the history of the court of last resort and parts of the judicial branch. America’s first President, George Washington, set in place the Judiciary Act of 1789 that established the Supreme Court, as well as setting up other courts beneath it. The Supreme Court tells the President and the State Courts what power they have. This has remained constant with six justices comprising the court.  During the presidency of  President Adams, he appointed John Marshall as chief justice and the court. He was the fourth chief justice of the United States, yet he is known as one of the greatest justices of all time. Marshall brought power and prestige to the judiciary department so that it was on the same level as Congress and the Executive branch providing three balanced but separate branches of government. He interpreted the Constitution as a document to give more power to the government. This brought to light how our Constitution is so important to the United States and the world. This was now part of America’s image, which would reflect upon the rest of the world. One of the key issues that divided the Court was the decision to abolish slavery or not. There were many heated discussions, and the issue was resolved once the Civil War was fought. For national problems, America looks back upon our Constitution to determine conclusions to various issues.        

Perhaps the most interesting idea taken away from the United States Supreme Court is how the states take cases to the highest court in the land for them to determine if a case has a constitutional question that needs deciding. Once a case arrives from the state court, the justices choose what case they will hear to argue and defend against. The nine justices meet and shake hands demonstrating a symbol of respect in case various disagreements occur. Justices will come in and stand for beliefs and values which their initial opinions can change by arguments with other justices. National cases gain the public’s attention which in turn focuses national attention on the court’s appearance and appeals. Lawyers are allowed thirty minutes through their oral arguments in front of the justices to try to captivate the court. Lawyers argue in front of the nine justices whether in favor or against defending values and opinions. The justices will gather after a case to vote and answer the constitutional question, then one judiciary writes an opinion describing their reasonings from a majority stand as the final say of a national-level court case. 

    

The most surprising thing that I learned about the Supreme Court was that for almost 200 years “We the People” did not include women participating in our judiciary system. This is a point that I feel is overlooked in our society today. At the time “We the People” meant men only with America being represented by male judiciary leaders. From the early seventeenth century to the 1920s, women were constantly fighting for their voices to be heard. The Women’s Suffrage movement granted as well as guaranteed women’s right to vote in our judiciary system. From this movement “We the People” included women, and our constitution must protect women’s rights today. 

 

As I watched this video, my opinion changed about my views of journalists' responses to Court Cases. Opinion writing is a crucial factor in that the rulings of one particular court case will be used for years to come as an example for another case. As the judiciaries’ revisions take months, it is especially important to declare the findings of the Supreme Court to the public. I always thought that the Press would write stories based on opinions and had no idea how long a report could take before it is released. The Public Information officer is the one who releases copies of judiciary statements to the press. I assumed journalists would review the information, but they will write and release information to the Public immediately.