U.S. Supreme Court - BLOG #2

The Supreme Court as composed June 30, 2022 to present.

Before watching these videos, I understood that the U.S. Supreme Court was an important part of our government, but I did not realize how much responsibility falls on only nine people. As the highest court in the country, its decisions can affect Americans for generations.

U.S. Supreme Court Building

One thing that impressed me most was learning that around 7,000 petitions arrive at the Supreme Court every year. A case begins with a written petition, and the justices meet in private conferences to discuss which cases they will hear and cases they have already finished.

I was also surprised by how much responsibility each individual justice carries. Although they have assistance from clerks and secretaries, each justice is ultimately responsible for making their own decisions.

It was interesting to learn that it can take a new justice a few years to fully understand how to do the job. Considering they are responsible for interpreting the Constitution, which was written more than 200 years ago, and applying it to modern issues, I can understand why.

Another fact that stood out to me was how long a justice can influence the country. Some remain on the Court for decades after the president who appointed them has left office, meaning one appointment can impact the United States far into the future.

I also enjoyed learning about some of the Court's traditions. The justices take a new group portrait whenever someone new joins, and before every conference, each justice shakes hands with every other justice. I think this is a meaningful tradition because even when they strongly disagree, they begin their work by showing respect for one another.

My biggest takeaway was learning that much of the Supreme Court's power rests on public faith in the institution. The Court makes decisions that can directly affect the rights and lives of millions of people, making the public's trust incredibly important.

After watching these videos, I have a much better understanding of what happens behind the scenes at the Supreme Court. More importantly, I understand why the decisions of these nine justices deserve our attention.

AI Disclosure: AI was not used in the research and information for this blog post. All information came from notes that I took while watching a video titled "Supreme Court of the United States." I then prompted ChatGPT Plus to help me shape my notes into a blog post between 300 and 350 words written in a smooth, professional style. I then added links to online sources that the reader could pursue for more information. Finally, I added appropriate images and captions to help break up the type and give the post a more professional look.