The United States Supreme Court

Before going into the video I did not know much about the Supreme Court of the United States. I only knew the basics about the Supreme Court. I knew that there are nine justices and how they take big court cases that have been appealed from the lower courts. The Supreme Court is an important part of our government. They read through around 7000 cases throughout the year and make important decisions that involve the United States Constitution. 

Being able to take the time to watch the video and read the article, I was able to learn many things. The first thing I learned from the Supreme Court video is that the justices are nominated by the President of the United States. I also did not know that the early Supreme Court was made up of only six justices rather than nine. The final thing I learned from the article of Supreme Court is that the first times the justices meet they did not go over cases. Rather, they worked on organizational procedures. 

While watching the video there were not many things that surprised me about the Supreme Court. However, reading the article showed me some interesting facts about the Supreme Court. For example in the article it talks about how John Marshall the fourth Chief Justice established the power of the Supreme Court to review and rule on the constitutionality of federal laws enacted by Congress. I knew that the Supreme Court had this power and is an important power because it gives our government more checks and balances. I was surprised that this power did not come in the beginning when it was established. Another fact that surprised me was that William Howard Taft, served as both President and Chief Justice. I never knew that someone served on the Supreme Court and as President. 

When reading the article and watching the video it is amazing to see how far the Supreme Court has come. Laws we have today would not have happened if the Supreme Court did not exist. For example in the article it talks about the case Mapp v. Ohio (1961), which held that evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in criminal cases. Cases like these are the reason Americans have the freedoms and protections they do. Being able to see that the court system in America has been helping people make sure they get their freedom is amazing to see. The court systems in America can get a lot of hate for the way rule on cases, especially the cases that are controversial. The Supreme Court is a major reason why our government has checks and balances and it is critical to understand it’s role in our government.