The Founding Era

    Before watching the videos, there was little that I knew about The Supreme Court. Growing up and still to this day, I am not one to engage in political information or even follow the presidency. I knew of The Supreme Court vaguely, and that it was part of the Judicial Branch. I found it interesting that in the Constitution there are no qualifications to become a member of The Supreme Court. There is an intense process to become a Supreme Court member, but no education requirements are associated with becoming a member. One of the most important takeaways for me was that the Chief Justice has the power of impeachment. I found it very interesting that one person has all of the power to take the president out of office. 

The first Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court is a set of 6 justices that are the final court that a court case goes to. For instance, when Roe v. Wade was first tried, the case ended up in The Supreme Court which changed the right to an abortion from being a matter of each state's decision to the choice becoming a federal decision. This was overturned in June 2022, also decided by The Supreme Court. So, The Supreme Court is in charge of deciding some significant cases that can change the course of the country, as the overturn of Roe v. Wade did. I found it interesting that the Supreme Court sets the precedent for many landmark cases, and still upholds most of these precedents that were put in place over 200 years ago. 

As a citizen, it is crucial to know how these courts are set up and regulated so that one does not become more powerful than another, also known as checks and balances. It is also important to note that the government was set up in a way that benefits every citizen, and that is very important to me. I also think it is important to add that the Supreme Court can pick and choose which case they want to try and not try. 

I thought it would be important to include a current picture and list of Supreme Court Justices: Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.