Blog Post #2 The Founding Era

 

The Supreme Court

    By watching these videos I learned the Constitution doesn’t outline the Supreme Court as much as the other branches. The other branches have their responsibilities defined in detail. That is not the case for the Supreme Court so the first court members, especially Chief Justice John Marshal, had to create the Supreme Court without guidelines. In class, we learned about the creation of Judicial review which is where the Supreme Court gets its power. While the other parts of the government were laid out in the Constitution, the Supreme Court had to find their place on their own.  

An important takeaway was learning how important and powerful the Supreme Court is in our system. It is the key to the system of Checks and Balances. The Supreme Court has the power to decide how to interpret the Constitution and hold the other branches to their interpretation. They are responsible for creating the rules that the rest of the country has to follow. 

I was surprised that someone was tried for impeached by the Supreme Court. The only person to be trailed for impeachment was Samuel Chase in 1805. After more research, I found he was tried for impeachment because he was accused of "letting his partisan leanings affect his court decisions". One of the most important traits of a Supreme Court Justice is not letting politics and personal opinions get in the way of their decisions. After the trial, he was acquitted as the two-thirds votes required for conviction were unmet. 

    
    These videos showed me the importance of the Supreme Court. This is unlike other courts in that they just solve legal issues. They are the backbone of the country as they make the decisions that impact the lives of every American. They ensure that the government protects and upholds all of our rights.