How Are Our Justices Providing Justice?

The United States Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial branch of government. They deal with human dilemmas, draw boundaries, uphold the laws and tell the president, congress and the states what they can and cannot do.

    Today we view the US Supreme Court as one of the most powerful authorities in our country. However, this was not always the case. In 1801 the US government moved to Washington DC and the Supreme Court was only given temporary quarters. It was not until John Marshall was selected as Chief Justice was the US Supreme Court viewed as credible. Under Marshall, the Supreme Court struck an act of Congress as unconstitutional and that is what earned them respect within the public.

    This respect came to a screeching halt 20 years later when a slave named Dred Scott claimed his freedom under an act of Congress. The Supreme Court hit a low point with the citizens of the United States when they ruled that Congress had no power to ban slavery and blacks could never become citizens. However, after the Civil War ended the United States abolished slavery, defined citizenship and granted voting rights.

    Fast forward to present day, the US Supreme Court receives approximately 7,000 petitions a year. The cases are sent to the 9 justices who are individually responsible for each case. After reviewing, they discuss the cases that have been argued and decide which ones are worth fighting for. These cases get taken to court where they outline the issues in front of the public.

    I believe that the present day system is tedious but reliable. It is more effective that each justice has to personally evaluate a case and then discuss it with the rest rather than there just being one justice making all of the decisions. This brings a sense of diversity to the table and allows more ideas on a specific case to come up that maybe one justice would not see. After watching the video (link attached) on our present day Supreme Court, it seems that each justice takes their job seriously and wants to make the best decision for the people. 

This is a picture of the first US Supreme Court This is a picture of the present day justices