Blog #2

Supreme Court Review

I learned a lot about the Supreme Court by watching these two videos, because I understood the purpose of the Supreme Court, but had never actually studied the format of it before.  I find it to be very interesting how each justice on the Supreme Court gets their own private time with each case.  This makes perfect sense to me, because if they didn't, their opinion could be swayed so easily by others- before even forming their own.  This wouldn't be fair, because one of the justices could have a separate opinion from the rest, but could be too afraid to speak out, so they instead conform.  Being a chief justice is a humongous responsibility and I just find it to be truly fascinating how whoever is picked to be one by the president can really determine the outcome of so many cases.  I say this, because many presidents think about what they have planned for the country and pick people who they think will agree with them; in order to carry out what they have planned.  It's scary to think that one person could alter a decision which leads to altering so many lives.

The most surprising thing that I learned about the Supreme Court was in the first video  where Justice David H. Souter is discussing what his colleagues call the Three Year Rule or as some call the Five Year Rule.  These rules are essentially explaining that it is very challenging to be a justice and that the job is very abnormal at first.  This was alarming to me, because Justice Souter explained that it takes awhile to get used to it and really start doing your job properly.  This kind of raised a lot of questions in my head, the main one being: Are the justices making the wrong decisions in the beginning chunk of their career as justices?  It's concerning to think that they aren't use to the job from the start and that it takes time to get used to.  I know it's by human nature that it takes time to form habits, but I wish there was a way for justices to feel comfortable from the start, so that there wasn't the possibility of them not being used to the position and making a poor decision as a result.

The biggest take-away from the two videos was the fact that no matter who you are, no matter what your case is, all the chief justices look at your petition privately in order to see if a lower court had treated you unjustly.  This is a huge deal and makes me really respect the Supreme Court, because this job is extremely overwhelming and is especially important not to discriminate against anyone and take your time with everyones' petitions.  I learned a lot about how important the Supreme Court really is and how much pressure is put on these justices, because they have to balance so many cases and make so many life-altering decisions.  Another key take-away was showcased in the second video, explaining the oral argument.  I found this to be very eye opening, because there is so much that goes into these arguments and the essence of the idea of the argument in general.  It's important to understand that the issues that the court take to these arguments are things that have been an issue in the country for awhile, which can't be decided without the justices' help.  These pressing matters need to be attended to and when they are attended to the process seems very chaotic for attorneys who have to balance numerous questions from the justices.  I thought it was very interesting how the one justice put that it isn't an argument between lawyer and justices, as it may seem.  But the reality is, that it is an argument between the court and itself, with the lawyer as a link between the two.  I feel as though that this is a key point that not many people know about, because it's not everyday that you get an insider point of view.  These take-aways are important to take into consideration, because I feel that they change your perspective on the Supreme Court, by allowing viewers to understand the time it takes to look at all cases and the complexness of oral arguments.  I think that you are able to appreciate the Supreme Court more, because they are taking the time to not discriminate and to really try to find the answer to each case by asking extensive questions.