The Supreme Court

Introduction

The Supreme Court is the highest and most prestigious court in the United States. It has been such a successful model for how high courts should be formatted, that it has seen widespread use and implementation in other nations courts. The law has always been complicated, and it is the task of the Supreme Court to decide whether actions taken by government officials are supported in the nations guiding legal document, the Constitution. The Supreme Court has been behind some of the nation's most progressive movements at times, and a backer of some of its darkest. How did the Supreme Court become what it is today, and what new information came out from the reading?

Humble Beginnings

The Supreme Court was established in 1789, and their office was located at first in a dimly lit basement of the unfinished Capitol building. At first, there were only 6 justices, Congress would then spend the better part of a century debating the proper amount, finally settling on 9 in 1869, which has remained the same since. The first case heard was West v. Barnes,  a case between a farmer and the state. West, the farmer, tried to represent himself, failed to properly submit some paperwork and the case was decided against him. Despite the lack of flashiness, West v. Barnes plays an important role in establishing precedent for Judicial Review, the process where the Courts can review the actions of government officials. 

Judging the Hell out of You

Judicial Review is a crucial part of the Supreme Court, and its founding can be traced to a single case in 1805, Marbury v. Madison. In the case, the Supreme Court struck down a federal judicial law because it conflicted with the Constitution. It established the Supreme Court's role as an overseer against Government overstepping. The Supreme Court is responsible for civil rights, the separation of church and state, voting rights, and so many other wins for the rights of Americans. All of these have one thing in common: they couldn't've happened without Judicial Review. 

Reading Takeaways 

There were a couple things of note in the reading that I was unaware of before. Namely, I learned a lot more about the position of Chief Justice, and the role it has played throughout history. John Marshall was the Chief Justice responsible for judicial review, and often, changes in Chief Justice often meant changes in some of the beliefs or opinions of the Court. The Court was responsible at times for aiding slavers and racists, and at other times they were on the side of the people. I also learned that the Chief Justice presides over Presidential trials of impeachment. This fact is even more interesting where you consider William Howard Taft, who served as both President and Chief Justice at different periods in time. Although he never got to oversee an impeachment trial as Chief Justice, one could imagine the interesting position Taft would be in, overseeing a Presidential impeachment while also being a former president.