In the year 1789, the Supreme
Court was created. This branch of government was created to safeguard liberty,
preserve the union, and uphold the rule of law. It determines the boundaries
between the president, congress, and the states. In 1801 when the US government
moved to Washington, the Supreme Court was held in the unfinished capitol. Chief
justices were given the greatest judicial powers and when the new court was
made, John Marshal established it as a well-respected form of government. One
mistake made, however, was the Dred Scott Decision in 1857 which gave western
territories the right to own slaves. This was the court's greatest
self-inflicted wound so they amended it after the Civil War with the concept of
due process- the idea that people cannot be thrown in jail without a fair
trial- in the 14th Amendment. The "We the people" mentioned in the
Constitution, therefore, applies to everyone who lives within America.
The fascinating thing about the
Constitution is that it gave advice and certain truths that are still relevant
to the problems that the Court deals with almost 200 years later. Every year,
the Supreme Court deals with 1,000 different petitions and 7,000 new cases. 9
justices consider these, whether it involves defending a wrongly convicted
prisoner or defending the president's power. The oral argument that follows is
essentially the court having a conversation with itself through the attorney
and talking to 9 different justices about a case can be overwhelming as there
are at least 4 different trains of thought being juggled through. A few days
after this argument, the justices meet in a conference room and reach a
decision for the case, which the law clerks explain legal reasons for doing.
Reporters find out about these soon and briefly explain the new decisions.
Opinions are later sent to all 9 justices and amendments might be made along
the way. Thus, the law is maintained in America.
