Week 3: The United States Supreme Court

In a nutshell, the Supreme Court has the ability to completely changed the laws in the United States Constitution, although they have the ability to re-evaluate decisions that have been previously made, the main thing that they are now recognized for, is deciding if the Constitution that was created 200 years ago still relates to the America that we know today, an America that allows all legal citizens to vote, and gives equal rights to all people.

The original court took almost every case that it was sent, but now, the court only takes 100 cases or less a year. This gives them a sort of respect that they demand. The laws that they now address, are based on "theoretical, rhetorical" decision, that is mixed between laws, but also their opinions, that when they make a decision, will be written. It could take months before they make a compromise, but eventually, these arguments can sway the justices, which is crazy, and why they are given so much time in the edit process before it is published!

The main part that confuses me about the Supreme Court, is the fact that they make decisions on laws, but that they are also opinion based, and I suspect that this will constantly be something that I struggle to understand throughout the entirety of my citizenship in this country and on this earth; things that are opinions can be proven or disproven by the law, depending on the interpretation. The constitution can be interpreted the same way the bible can be, and laws were written to be incredibly elusive, so that they are morphed into the time we live in, and the most just decision based on the situation.

I like these photos, because I think they relatively reflect what we still think of when we see a court in our minds (or on TV), and even though as a society we are constantly evolving and molding the Constitution to fit our values, we still sit on the same foundations and principles.

The youngest Supreme Court Justice was Joseph Story, appointed at the age of 32, but that is extremely young for a Supreme Court Justice, and most Justices have been in government related jobs for 30 years before they are appointed. We trust the Supreme Court Justices to make decisions regarding the future of our country, and it is a great honor and HUGE power that we give them.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRoXYRsaeo&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8qSuWxcG8&feature=youtu.be