BLOG #2 Supreme Court

After watching PART I and PART 2 of the supreme court videos, I am fascinated by the long history of the Supreme Court and how a document established centuries ago can still be applied to problems of today. Our world changes so rapidly, day by day, but somehow the Constitution remains the foundational document that guides our judicial system. I knew about the structure and number of justices from my time in AP Government & Politics, and I remember talking about the controversy of their term length. While other figures have limits to the time in which they are allowed to serve, Supreme Court justices may hold their title for as long as they choose (and are seen as fit to do so.) Another issue that arises is that the general public have no say in who becomes a justice, but I am not concerned with that topic as much because I believe the Senate does its due diligence in their confirmation process. 

I was also surprised to learn that the justices receive more than 7,000 cases a year, but only accept 100 for full consideration. It was interesting to hear about how unique of an experience it is speaking before a panel of nine judges, and to learn about the opinion writing process. I personally would feel exhausted having to draft and re-draft the same document over and over for months on end. I just simply can't stick with one topic for that long of a period of time. I also like the emphasis on the individuality of each judge, but that they are ultimately working towards a common goal- upholding the Constitution. I'm sure they have a special camaraderie and culture within their group, but are able to separate the personal aspect from their work. 

As for my most important take away from these videos, I was interested in the idea that today we just sort of accept the power of the Court, but that it wasn't always that way. Under John Marshall, the Court earned the respect of the public through its ability to fairly make decisions based on the Constitution, but then slavery and abolition conversations harmed the trust that had been built, and now we are back to a place of operating on good faith that the justices will be righteous in their decisions. Just another example of how, even as our world changes, the policies and structures outlined in our foundational document, the Constitution, can still be interpreted to influence our society as it is today.