Post #2- United States Supreme Court

 

The United States Supreme Court

    The United States Supreme Court has been one of the most vital functions of the U.S. government over the past few hundred years. In the videos, I learned that the Supreme Court is given thousands of cases every year to go through, but they only vote upon a hundred cases or so per year. Next, I learned about the majority and dissenting opinions the justices have to write, and these opinions create an absolute storm within the media. Another aspect about opinions I thought was interesting was when Justice Thomas spoke about walking in to the conference room with an opinion, and sometimes leaving with a different one. I also didn't know about the times when the justices spoke with attorneys in the public during an oral argument. This is fun for me to think about as an attorney on the mock trial team because I am not quite sure how I would handle the questioning by the justices and trying to keep the stories straight through their differing opinions. The most interesting and surprising piece of information I learned had to do with the human aspect of the justices. I liked learning that before every debate in the conference room, each justice shakes the hand of every other justice in the room, thus creating a healthier environment for debate. It is important to remember that although they are a very formal and high court within the government, the nine justices are still people, and the fact that the greater United States public is able to understand and respect the court and it's decisions is just incredible. For me, this video changed the way I look at the Supreme Court in that I do not just see it as one of the three branches of the federal government, but also as nine people who are looking out for the Constitution and for the people of the United States.