Before watching this video, I knew almost nothing about the Supreme Court. This assignment provided me the opportunity to be more learn more about our government to become an educated citizen.
Things I Learned
Something I found interesting to learn about was how the Justices obtain their role. I knew they were appointed by the President, but I did not know they had to be approved by the senate. I believe having the nominated person be approved before taking on the responsibility and role of a Justice is an excellent way of upholding the Checks and Balances system in our government. I was surprisingly shocked at how many cases are proposed to the Supreme Court each year. I had previously thought the only cases brought to the Court were cases surrounding the Federal government. I didn't realize until now that they are proposed with cases from lower courts and they decide which cases they choose to grant certiorari.
Important Takeaways
One important aspect of the Supreme Court I learned about was it is their job to uphold the constitution to everybody. I had always thought the Supreme Court's only purpose was to hold the other branches of government accountable under the law. I now know they hold everybody accountable under their law, but it is also their job to interpret the law. I severely underestimated the workload the Justice's had. They are approached with thousands of cases in a year, have to choose which ones to accept, go through the process of appealing a case, and collectively reach a verdict. It is important to note how challenging it can be to interpret a over 200 year old document and apply into today's cases.
My View on the Supreme Court
After watching the video I now have a new respect for the Supreme Court Justice's. I never fully understood their role as a branch of government or how they were supposed to uphold the constitution. Now that I have learned more about the Supreme Court I fully understand their position of power and how much work it entails to hold everyone accountable under the constitution. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the process of becoming a Justice, the workload of the Justice's, and how they impact every American.
