Blog #2: History of the SCOTUS

 

        Since I am a political science major, I have some prior knowledge about the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). The Supreme Court is the highest, most powerful tier of the United States federal government, granting it significant rule over every law in our country. It was created in the Constitution and consists of nine court justices. The main purpose of the Supreme Court is to determine whether every law is constitutional or not. As the head of the judicial branch, it has the power to check the proceedings of both the executive and legislative branches. 

    I learned some more information about the Supreme Court that I hadn't known before. The highest judicial officer in the federal government is the chief justice. The people up for this position are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Some of their responsibilities include ruling in impeachment trials, ruling the Supreme Court, and setting the agenda for meetings. I didn't know that holding this position granted you so much responsibility and came with such a high status. It was written into the Constitution, in the Judiciary Act of 1789, that the Supreme Court would consist of at least six justices who are to remain serving until death or retirement. I did not realize the amount of commitment that goes into being a Supreme Court justice. This new information helped me to understand how important the Supreme Court is to our country's government. 

    The most important takeaway point about the SCOTUS is that throughout their 200+ year history, they have had a heavy influence on important cases. They are known for having a lasting impact on many civil rights cases, however, they have contributed to the rulings on other issues. A landmark civil rights case is Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), declaring that racial segregation was constitutional only if separate but equal accommodations were provided. A significant, controversial case was Roe v. Wade (1973), which granted pregnant women the right to an abortion within the first two trimesters. It is essential for Americans to realize how crucial the Supreme Court's role is in our country's government and political history. 

    The most surprising thing that I learned about the Supreme Court was that many of their case rulings have been overturned. Since this jurisdiction is so powerful, I did not think it was possible to overturn their decisions, especially in such controversial cases. In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the decision was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), deeming that segregation in public education was unconstitutional because it violates the 14th Amendment. This was a major turning point for racial discrimination in our country's history. In the case of Roe v. Wade, the decision was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022), claiming that abortion is not a constitutional right. These are just a few popular examples of SCOTUS cases being overturned. These decisions have greatly impacted the way our government holds rulings. 

    This article has definitely changed what I originally thought of the Supreme Court. This newfound information is very eye-opening and should be brought to the attention of all Americans. I have always known that SCOTUS was somewhat important, however, I didn't realize how much power they actually held in the rulings of many landmark cases. Something that had the most impact on my thoughts of SCOTUS was that many newer cases have the ability to overturn precedent decisions. This has definitely affected the proceedings of the Supreme Court and changed our political history.