The U.S. Supreme Court

According to History.com, the Supreme Court is "the highest federal court in the country and head of the judicial branch of government" (History.com).

    In the past, I never put much effort into learning about the big bad Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). What I did not know was that SCOTUS held the utmost power to evaluate the actions of the executive branch and the legislative branch. After doing research I learned it is vital in upholding the voice of the people which is a substantial part of the first amendment. The video states "Their legitimacy is in the constitution but their power rests on public faith in their independence and impartiality". A rather interesting fact that is new information to me is that Howard Taft was the only person to serve as both President and chief justice! That had me thinking how hard of a role that must have been because it required remaining neutral enough to fulfill the supreme court ruling yet mindfully check the actions of his own executive branch. 

    After watching the videos and reading the overview I learned important fundamentals that go into the SCOTUS. The most important takeaway is understanding the basics of the Supreme Court, learning about when it was established, by who it was established, the way it has changed over the past 200 years, and more. The SCOTUS is indifferent to the executive and legislative branches because they have to wait for the people's concerns to boil over until the 9 justices are needed for review. It is also important to note that the structure of reviewing the weekly cases is entirely individual to each justice. That is until meeting conference style once a week to decide which cases to move further with. Separating the justices allows them to do their own work and make their own sentiment without outside influence. Though some decisions can be swayed into changing after hearing other justices' logical reasonings. 

    Something that is surprising to me is the number of cases the SCOTUS receives a week, let alone the entire year. I find it fascinating that the Supreme Court receives more than 100 new cases every week and around 7,000 a year! For only having 9 justices the fact that they can filter through that many cases in a fair, respectful, and deliberate manner speaks volumes about who we the people, put our biggest dilemmas in the hands of. It is amazing to hear that the justices prioritize respectful mannerisms like shaking hands before a conference or going on the bench to remain cordial if a contentious disagreement of merit results from the discussion. 

    The video captures the SCOTUS in a way that might not be as easily displayed through articles because it shows the justices as humans and less like programmed austere robots with one job to do. Seeing the justices come together, smiling and interacting blissfully for something as common as a group photo helps me to understand they are people who have an immensely important role in the government but they also have personality. "Though trained in the law they deal with human dilemmas. They are people, not disembodied spirits". This is a powerful statement because as a person with my own human dilemmas, it reminds me that they have the people's best interest at heart. The justices know what it means to be human and it helps me believe I can trust them to make the most ethical decisions when deliberating and reviewing a petition. I now think the Supreme Court holds the most important role out of the three branches in respect of the balance of power in the U.S. government.