Blog post #2

 The US Supreme Court Reflection

    The US Supreme Court is an integral part of the justice system in our country. The Supreme Court has established incredibly strong precedents through applying the Constitution that have shaped our nation. The Supreme Court, made up of 9 justices each with lifetime tenure are some of the most important people in the framework of our nation's legal system. 

 Current Supreme Court

    Growing up with an attorney as a mother, I was exposed to the law incredibly early in my lifetime. However, not Constitutional law. I was aware of the importance of the Supreme Court and how precedents shape the way in which our country's court systems rule on cases. In the first video we learned about all of the details within the process itself. One of the first things that struck me as interesting was the fact that at the time this video was released, there were only a little over 100 Supreme Court Justices. The idea of lifetime tenure was something I had heard of before, yet I did not realize truly how few people have served on the Supreme Court. Second, I learned that the Supreme Court receives over 100 cases a week and 7,000 per year to review. I had not yet understood the number of cases that made it to the Supreme Court and then had to be reviewed by the court. 

    The individual nature of the Court was also something I was previously unfamiliar with. Each Justice taking the time to review all of the cases and then having a weekly conference was new to me. One of the things that stuck out to me the most was how the associate Justice had established a sort of "rule" that in each conference, every Justice must speak once before another can speak twice. This idea helps to ensure that everyone's ideas are heard in a fair manner. I believe this reflects similarly to the whole idea of the Supreme Court. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor explained that the process for granting or denying certiorari requires every petition to get the same individual consideration. She said that it did not matter if the petition was written by the top lawyer or a prisoner in his cell, they were considered the same. This unbiased process shows the importance of equality in the legal system. The conferences overall remained fascinating to me. The idea of letting everyone share their ideas and hear one another's is what allows for opinions to change. Justice Clarence Thomas said that he often goes in with his own opinions, usually they do not change but this system established has changed his mind a few times. In my mind, this establishes a strong and equal system. My confidence in the Supreme Court has grown due to the fact that it is apparent they are trying to make the system unbiased and make decisions purely in the most ethical way. 

Supreme Court room

When watching the second video, I learned more about the actual process that goes on once the court accepts a case. Once again, to establish equality in the court, each attorney is given thirty minutes of oral argument before the nine Justices. No one is granted more time than another, this ensures no advantage towards either side. The Justices are able to use the arguments of these attorneys to make their decision. After hearing the argument, the following days consist of deliberation. The Justices debate to determine the majority decision. Once a decision is made, one of the Justices on the majority side is instructed to write an opinion. The opinion declares the reasoning behind the decision made. This is incredibly important because as explained in the video, this decision "binds all other courts as they decide future cases". I did not know that any Justice on the other side can write an opinion dissenting the decision or concurring in the result but disagreeing with the reasoning. It is fascinating to me that the opposing idea can be released publicly. However, again this contributes to the transparency of the Supreme Court. 

    Often you hear that the Supreme Court is secretive, biased, and politically motivated. However, after watching both of these videos I would disagree. Hearing from each of the Justices and listening to them explain the gravity of the situation they are in humanized the court. They know that each one of their decisions can change the course of history and the laws that govern it. The precedents established are necessary for change, but they understand they can often be controversial. The unbiased screening process and the publication of opinions is something that everyone should be aware of. In my opinion, it is incredibly important to take away the attempts from the court to remain transparent and unbiased. It is also important to remember each Justice is a human that comes into their position with their own ideas and ways of interpreting situations. They simply do their best to act ethically and provide a fair legal process. The idea that Justices often take 3 to 5 years to get acquainted and comfortable shows that they feel the pressure they are under. It is not an easy job trying to act in the best interest of all the American people.