SUPREME COURT

Something I learned about the Supreme Court that I did not already know is that while I love the Supreme Court, and some of my greatest heroes have held seats on the Supreme Court, I have never noticed that there is a distinction between the Chief Justice and the associate justices. I did not know that there was a difference in authority between the justices, but it makes sense. The Chief Justice is in charge of setting the agenda, which is a necessary job, and assigning it to a single person removes the possibility of quarreling over it. Though surprising, this order of distinction is not very significant in terms of the Supreme Court. The most important take-away point about the Supreme Court is that it is the highest court in the land. It has the final decision and say over the laws within the United States and is responsible for discussing the constitutionality of all laws. Its decisions affect the entire country. For example, in recent years the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage federally! This case decision created a new precedent across the entire country, allowing for a new wave of love equality. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/obergefell-v-hodges-ruling-same-sex-marriage-legalized-nationwide) The most surprising thing I learned is that the chief justice is required to sit on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. I honestly had no idea what the Board of Regents is, but upon googling, the Board of Regents is in charge of overseeing various educational aspects in the state. (https://www.si.edu/regents) Interestingly, a chief justice, as busy as they are, is made to hold a position like that. The text I read changed the way I thought of the Supreme Court because I was able to better understand its impact through reading its notable cases. For example, without the Supreme Court presidents could withhold information in a trial, people’s speech could be silenced, criminals could indict themselves or be forced to serve as their defense. 

This video is very long but it has more information regarding the most famous Supreme Court cases!

100 Supreme Court Cases