The U.S. Supreme Court and Public Trust

The U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial system in the world.

 One surprising thing I learned is that a Supreme Court case begins with a petition asking the Court to act. The Court receives 2,000 petitions each year, and new petitions are sent to the justices once a week.

That volume is difficult to imagine. By the time a case reaches the Supreme Court, the facts have already been presented in the lower courts.

Nine justices hear arguments in a public courtroom. Each lawyer receives 30 minutes to present an argument while the justices ask questions and the attorneys respond.

The video compared this exchange to arguing with a corporate group. The justices are also having a conversation with one another through the questions they ask.

Judges cannot simply bring problems before the Court themselves. The people must bring cases to them, which helps prevent the justices from pursuing issues based entirely on their own agendas.

The Court has more than 200 years of history behind it. John Marshall established judicial review, giving the Court the ability to strike down congressional and presidential decisions, while the Dred Scott case is remembered as a self-inflicted wound.

Presidents try to shape the Court through their nominations, and the Court can reflect popular sentiments. Yet the justices are repeatedly asked to draw the line on government power.

Once a case is decided, a justice on the supporting side writes an opinion explaining the decision. Other justices may write opinions on either side, and those opinions are circulated among the justices before reaching the press.

That process stood out to me because it gives the public a clear view of the Court’s reasoning and justification.

My biggest takeaway is that the Supreme Court’s authority does not rest on the Constitution alone. Although the Constitution gives the Court legitimacy, its real power comes from the faith and trust of the American people.

That changed how I think about the Court. Even the most powerful judicial body on Earth depends on public confidence to remain powerful.

My Top 5 News Sources

 New York Times

    New York Times often has the stories about non-political subjects I am interested in. They have a lot of business updates I find interesting if there are any breakthroughs or scandals going on. They also cover cultural events and circumstances that I feel help me form a more well-rounded opinions.

BBC News

    BBC is where I go for more global news, especially concerning global politics. Because our country is so involved in foreign affairs, I would be severely disadvantaged to be ill-informed about the goings-on of our international allies. I mostly ignore the British cultural updates, unless it applies to some artists or politics for some reason, but again I use this source to keep my views diverse.

CNN

    I interact with CNN purely to see what is happening on the left side of politics in America. I am more conservative in my beliefs, but it would be hypocritical of me to not at least have a basic understanding of opposing views. I also find it helpful to learn about opposing views because I might become more educated and shift my own opinions.

The Daily Wire

    The Daily Wire is one of those news sources that I really interacted with as a teenager, but once I became an adult I realized they are just as biased and honestly as annoying as every other far-leaning political news source. I mainly get headlines from them so that I can find more reliable news sources to give me the more accurate stories. They also became way too much of a "media critique" outlet, which is just annoying because I do not want to hear opinions I want facts. 

IGN

    This is my main source for media news and sometimes opinions. A lot of video game and movie updates appear on IGN, which is exactly what I want to see. I like having an outlet that is purely dedicated to media. Most other major sources mingle in everything, so everything becomes political or incredibly biased, making it hard to find real truth. IGN gives me no-nonsense updates and facts about movies, shows, games, etc., so I don't ever have to go digging for what I want.