Supreme Court Reflection

The U.S Supreme Court is the ultimate decider of constitutionality.

Before watching the video linked at the bottom of this post, I knew that the Supreme Court was the highest court in the United States, but I learned many details that I had never heard before. One fact that surprised me was that the Court receives thousands of petitions for relief every year, yet it only agrees to hear about 100 cases annually. That showed me how selective the Court is and how important the cases it reviews must be.

Inside of The Suprene Court

The biggest lesson I took away from the video was the Supreme Court's mission: safeguarding liberty, preserving the Union, and upholding the rule of law. That statement helped me understand the Court's purpose in a broader way. Rather than simply deciding legal disputes, the Court plays a key role in protecting the principles on which the nation is built.

I also learned several interesting facts about the justices themselves. The Court takes a new official photograph whenever a new member joins. Justices have no term limits, although they serve an average of about 16 years. I was also surprised to learn that there have been only a little more than 100 justices in the entire history of the Supreme Court. Each justice is nominated by the President and appointed by the Senate.

Portrait of Dred Scott

The video highlighted some important moments in Supreme Court history. In 1801, John Marshall became Chief Justice. During his time on the Court, the case Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review, which allows the Court to determine whether laws are constitutional.

Another major topic was the Dred Scott case. The Court ruled that Congress had no power to resolve
the issue of slavery, and the video described this decision as the Court's greatest self-inflicted wound. Learning about this case showed me that even the Supreme Court can make decisions that are later viewed as serious mistakes.

Overall, the video changed the way I think about the Supreme Court. I now see it as more than a group of judges deciding cases. The Court reviews whether lower courts applied the law correctly and whether laws are constitutional, making it one of the most important institutions in the United States government.

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AI DISCLOSURE: This post was generated by Microsoft Copilot. I took detailed notes while watching the video below about the history of the U.S Supreme Court. In addition to facts that I learned, I emphasized my own reactions and opinions while watching. I then asked Copilot to help me improve the text by correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I then asked Copilot to help me shape the text into a blog post format. After reviewing the text, I added links to related resources as well as appropriate images and captions. 

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