Blog #2- The Supreme Court

    Prior to doing research, watching the informational video, and reading about the Supreme Court on the History Channel, my knowledge of the Supreme Court was relatively limited. I felt I knew the basics, or for better terms, what I learned in high school history class. I never realized how important they really are and the impact they have on all of our lives. 

   Let's start off from the beginning, how the Supreme Court came to be. The Supreme Court was established in 1789 by Article Three of the U.S. Constitution, which also granted Congress the power to create inferior federal courts. When George Washington, the first president of the United States, signed the Judiciary Act of 1789, it stated that the court would be made up of 6 judges. These justices were to serve until they either retired or died. After these 6 justices were chosen, they were first set to meet on February 1, 1790. However, due to limited transportation and no access to cars or planes, the meeting had to be postponed until February 2, 1790. This first meeting on a cold day in New York City was the start of it all.

  The most surprising thing that I learned was the evolution of the Supreme Court from then to now. As I said before, the original Supreme Court was composed of 6 individuals. Since then the number has been altered six different times. Finally, in 1869, Congress decided upon 9 seats in the Supreme Court which has remained the same since. I also found it very shocking that the original Supreme Court did not have its first case until over a year after its founding. This is crazy to think because today's Supreme Court gets thousands of cases a year and has to turn away most.

    I can confidently say that I have learned so much more than I ever knew before about the Supreme Court. I think the most important takeaway is realizing the prestige of these officials and how they come to have a seat on the Supreme Court. In the article, it says that the judges are nominated by the current president and then later confirmed by the Senate. It is extremely hard to find yourself on the Supreme Court and with that comes a lot of power. Additionally, above all in the court is the chief justice. They are the ones who set the schedules and plan the weekly meetings. 

    This article has really opened my eyes to how much I really did not know about the Supreme Court. I am very glad I took the time to learn more about the people who actually have such an impact on not only the government but also our everyday lives.