The Supreme Court

Being one of the most respected and powerful judiciary groups in world, the Supreme Court holds massive influence over every aspect of our government. Their decisions having ripple effects in cases all over the country in any level of court or governing body, and in cases for decades or even centuries to come. The 9 judges on the court are appointed to determine the constitutionality of not only cases in lower and appellate courts, but also in the actions of the the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. While it isn't the most eventful or flashy aspects of our government, the results and decisions have shaped American democracy and life. 

In the reference video and its 2nd part, it gives a brief and insightful overview as to how the Supreme Court operates, from receiving cases, to how those chosen are argued on the court floor. The Supreme Court does not function like a local or state court would. Instead of hearing any case, few are chosen by the judges from thousands of letters each year for review. When the judges do hear a case in court, it also is not like other court proceedings. Each attorney is given 30 minutes to argue their case to the panel and answer the questions the judges may have about the case. The 9 judges then go into a conference room, alone, and deliberate on their decision and vote. Once a majority has agreed on a decision, a judge is required to write the opinion of the Court on the case summarizing the decision and the reasoning from the judges on how they came to that decision. If other judges in the majority disagree with the group's reasoning, they are allowed to write an opinion, also known as a concurring opinion. A judge in the minority is also allowed to write a dissenting opinion on their view of the decision. The opinion of the court is published after as many drafts as needed and implemented into decision making across the country. 

The videos helped me to understand that while the Supreme Court is very unique style of judiciary proceedings, it is still close to the court style that most people know in the lower courts all over the country. As I explained the Supreme Court's proceedings previously, it differs in many areas from lower court, including no juries, witnesses, and the Supreme Court only allows the attorneys to speak once, for 30 minutes, for the entire time an individual case is being heard. 

The most surprising piece of information I learned was the average tenure of the judges on the Supreme Court only being 16 years, especially compared to the total amount of judges we have had in the Supreme Court's history, being 100 judges. I had always known when judges are appointed they aren't young as they need the experience in many courts to prepare them for this job, but I assumed they either worked until they decided to retire or passed away in office.