Blog 2: My Thoughts On The Supreme Court

Before reading the History Channel’s overview of the Supreme Court, I was unaware of how important the Supreme Court was, and the amount of power they hold. One crazy thing about the Supreme Court that I never realized is that I’ve heard the names Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh in the past, but I never paid enough attention to realize that they both are current justices to the Supreme Court. I always figured they were some government officials, which they are obviously way more than that. 

Most Important Take-Away

The thing I find most important after reading this overview is that the Supreme Court plays a huge part in how this country is run. For example, cases like Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), saw same-sex marriage legalized across all 50 states; Roe v Wade (1973), gave women the right to have abortions during their first two trimesters. These cases play such a pivotal role in how our country is constantly evolving and changing. The Supreme Court is in charge of potential life-changing rulings, which allow the country and its citizens to grow. 

Most Surprising Fact

The thing I found most surprising is the amount of times the number of justices were altered. The first court had six justices, and that number was changed by Congress six times over the years. From going from five seats to as high as ten seats, it wasn’t until 1869 when the number was finalized to nine seats, and it hasn’t changed since. 

Learning Something New Everyday

I previously mentioned that I was unaware that notable people like Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Cohen Barrett are a part of the Supreme Court. Another thing that I learned about the Supreme Court is that there is a chief justice. The chief justice is responsible for the leadership of the
whole federal judicial system. The chief justice also moderates trials of impeachment in the U.S. Senate, which has happened only three times in our history, which is surprising as well.