Blog Post #2

Supreme Court

After watching the Supreme Court video, I was properly educated on just how important the most powerful judicial body on Earth is. I knew the Supreme Court was made up of 9 justices, and that they had a lot of petitions come in each year. However, I did not know that there have only been over 100 Supreme Court justices in the history of American history. Therefore, the confirmation process is extremely imperative when initiating new members. 

A decision that weakened the court's authority dealt with the Slavery question. Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney had said that "Blacks could never be citizens." However, the Civil War resolved this question as the constitution was amended, and slavery was abolished. The importances of the 14th Amendment was born, as it has been used to protect individuals from state law throughout history. 

Beforehand, I knew that there were around 7,000 new cases every year that the Supreme Court receives. Most of them being petitions for certiorari, or arguments persuading that a lower court ruling is incorrect. Very few are actually accepted, and sent to the justices once a week. The most important takeaway for me is that each petition gets the same individual consideration. This includes petitions by high-priced legal counsels or a free-handed petition from a prisoner in jail. The Supreme Court takes the time to give every individual a chance to be heard. This is imperative as there can be no bias, when deciding which petitions will be accepted. 

I was very interested to learn that before the Supreme Court settles down to business, they first shake hands. This is a sign of respect that even if they disagree with each other, they still regard their opinions. After all, they were chosen for a reason and each of their voices are handling important decisions. They then begin by outlining the problems within each case. A system was set up where everyone spoke once, as opposed to, people talking over each other. 

A question had been brought up regarding the distance between the court and the public. However, it had been said that the Judiciary, has no secrets. Rather, everything is already out there since it's public opinion. The Supreme Court hears each case in public, surrounded by lawyers on opposing sides. Each lawyer will only be allowed 30 minutes to argue their case. The oral argument is made up of the hard questions that the briefs might've raised. The lawyers are there to remind that court that rhetorical cases can make a difference. Additionally, abstract principals must be applied to real life situations. 

After the lawyers have argued each case, the 9 justices are left alone to make a decision. One justice of the majority side has to write an opinion regarding the legal reasons for the decision. This opinion is very time-consuming, as it decides future cases. This draft of the first opinion takes as long as 4 weeks. Revisions and adjustments can go on for various months as well. Releases of these opinions are to be open to the public and press. Reporters then have to briefly explain the explanations and outcomes of each case. 

I have always respected the Supreme Court, since I've always enjoyed learning about them in school. However, learning just how much work goes into reading all of these petitions, gave me another kind of respect. This is because, they are not picking and choosing which petition they want to give a chance. Rather, they give every individual petition, and voice, a chance to be listened to. This is the most important element in my eyes.