History and Workings of the Supreme Court

    Something I learned was that the Supreme Court will generally announce the decision on current cases at the end of the term in late July. Originally, I did not realize that there was a set date for when the justices release their decisions. Instead, I thought that opinions by the Supreme Court were released at various times throughout the year as they saw each case. I also learned that justices meet every week to vote on which cases to accept, and that they have law clerks to help them go through the many cases they receive.

 

    The most important take-away for me was the amount of power that the Supreme Court justices hold. Their rulings set the standard for what things are and are not protected under the constitution, and directly affects how lower courts will rule in future cases. Because of their influence and power, their decisions have the ability to make history by setting a new precedent, which makes them an incredibly important branch of our government. 

 

     The most surprising thing I learned was that opinion writing (which takes place after a decision has been made about a case) is the most time-consuming duty that Supreme Court justices have. The documentary stated that revisions and adjustments to the written opinion on a case takes a very long time, often going on for months. I found this surprising because I originally thought that the most time-consuming part of a justices job would be reading all the cases that come in each week. I also found it surprising to learn that the Supreme Court's written opinion can range from a few pages long (when the decision is unanimous) to 80 pages or more, (when the justices are divided). This is because the justice writing the opinion must accommodate the varying views of the other justices in the Supreme Court. 

    The video changed by view by further making me realize how much power and influence we give to nine individual people. From the cases they chose to take, to the decisions and ruling they make, the Supreme Court justices have the power to shape our nation through their interpretation of our constitution. This video made me realize that the justices truly have a very fundamental and powerful role in our government.