The Supreme Court has become a model for high courts throughout the world, and remains the most powerful judicial body on Earth. While I knew what the Supreme Court was and the basics, there are many things that I learned from this video and developed a better understanding of the historic part of our government that I didn’t know before.
To begin, I learned that they deliberate and reach their decisions in private, and that it interprets a 200-year old constitution. I also didn’t know that in U.S history, there are over a hundred Supreme Court justices serving an average of 16 years, or that they often go on to serve decades after the president who actually appointed them. I learned that they accept around 100 cases a year, even though they get hundreds of cases per week. This shocked me to hear how many are actually taken, versus how many go through their office. For example, they receive about 100 new cases each week, and about 7,000 total a year.
The most important take-away point about the Supreme Court is that it safeguards liberty, preserves the union, and upholds the rule of law. I think the biggest take-away for me was seeing how each case is viewed separately, yet all of them are viewed similarly. This means that each case gets the same individual consideration no matter what. For example, in the video it states that “every case gets the same view, and one is not looked at as more significant than another.”
The most surprising thing about this video to me was how relatively unbiased and open-minded they are. I always assumed that they would lean one way or could already have a decision made up in their mind. Instead, I learned that they try to stay open minded and hear both sides to the argument before making a decision. They really try to humanize the court. For example, in the video they mentioned that the first thing they do when they gather is shake hands with everyone. They also have a rule where everyone speaks once before anyone can speak twice which shows a lot of respect for one another and fairness. This is especially important when dealing with two completely different sides to a court decision.
Finally, the video changed my perspective in the way I view the Supreme Court because it gave me a lot more respect for how much of an impact they have and how work goes into it. Without the Supreme Court, we as American citizens would not have “the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, they function as a guardian and interpreter of the constitution.” They are a major reason that we get a voice in our government. The Supreme Court is so important because they keep the other branches of government in check and make sure that what they are doing aligns with the constitution. This power is needed to protect the citizens of the U.S and make sure that the government doesn’t abuse their power. Overall, we need to understand why they hold such a significant amount of power and how much of an impact they have on the United States.
