U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial body in the world. The first thing that I learned from the video we watched on the Supreme Court is that in the 200 years America had been around when the video was made, there had been just about 100 justices in place. This is not a number I had paid much attention to previously, yet I find interesting. Another interesting thing I noted was how difficult it is to adjust as a new justice. The idea of it being "akin to being struck by lightening" and the idea that it takes three or even five years to get used too were surprising to me, although it shouldn't be. This video was a reminder that although they have a powerful, important position, the people appointed to these positions are humans just like us, trying to do whats best for us.

The most shocking thing I learned from this video is that the supreme court receives more than 100 cases a week and usually only takes on 100 a year. While they only work with that few, they make sure each case that comes through is reviewed thoroughly, which is impressive to me, and proves the fairness of their process. My favorite thing they discussed was that every time the nine justices meet, the first thing they do is shake hands. This seems like a minor thing, but too me this makes their decision process more personal and allows a connection between people who may not always agree on everything. As one of the justices said, even though they disagree each one has the same end goal for the people of the U.S. I was also surprised to learn that each opinion draft can take up to four weeks to be created, and then can be revised for months on after. This amount of time shows how much the justice's care and are constantly searching for the best outcome, even if it takes a long time. That time is worth it to them, and to the people. 

The most important take-away from this video for me is the idea that the Supreme Court has no inside story, and no secrets. The way the court handles each case in front of the public eye allows for the people their decisions effect the most to be involved and watch the whole process. Because their end goal is too make a decision in the civilians best interest, this publicity is vital to the people's faith in the court. And this faith in the court is vital to the success of the system the United States runs on.