Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court is one of the 3 branches of the United States Government. Although I have learned about this branch in history classes, watching this short video really added some insight as to how the court functions. Because of the 7,000 cases they receive for review , it is often wrongfully reported by the media that the court has upheld that decision that is being challenged. However, this is not the case. The Supreme Court Justices were discussing that although they can only select around 100 cases from state courts to reopen, that doesn’t mean they agree with every other case in the piles that is not chosen. I hadn’t really thought about that. In past years of study, I’ve heard of people trying to push their case to the level of the Supreme Court and getting denied, but I just assumed that the Court agreed with the decision. I hadn’t quite thought of the fact that it just wasn’t one of the few chosen. 

    In addition to the majority opinion, any justice can write a dissenting opinion. The first draft of the opinion is usually done within four weeks. However, decisions are in a multi-month revision process constantly being rewritten and adjusted to try to incorporate differing views or different reasoning behind a supporting view. Majority and minority may flip during this time. These decisions rage from a few pages when the decision is unanimous to over 80 pages when the justices have different opinions. 

    One thing that was interesting was that they took initiative to set a system in order that everyone shall speak once before anyone speaks twice in the discussion. Something as simple as this policy really allows for more open-minded discussion, making it a more non biased decision.

    It’s funny because the interviewer talked about how the Supreme Court is viewed in the minds of the public as this secretive entity when in reality that is not true at all. Behind the scenes is only thoughts and discussions but there truly isn’t a way to have the Supreme Court be secretive in any way. The Supreme Court publishes their thoughts and decision for the entire nation to see and read. They can’t do much without the eyes of the country on them. I really had this subconscious view of the Supreme Court being very secretive and I'm not even certain where that thought initially came from. 

     People tend to embrace the view that the Supreme Court has the longview of the nation in its mind when make decisions and that it will follow the constitution dedicatedly.