Supreme Court foundations

The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the entire world and consists of nine justices with one chief justice. The Supreme Court receives a couple hundred cases, arguments, etc. weekly and about 7,000 per year. The justices meet weekly over what cases to decide to vote on and which to review that have already been argued. Typically, the Supreme Court will only end up hearing about 80 of those cases per year. Upon entering the private room, each justice shakes hands in that there is no grudges after the case is decided and in that there is opposing opinions. The supreme court essentially makes opinions in private and quiet which really tests the faith of the American people in them.

Supreme Court appointed Justices serve life terms, decades after Presidents come and go. There is a large mystique hanging around the Supreme Court all the time but the inside story of the Supreme Court is that there is no inside story because everyones opinion is out there and open.

The Supreme Court is very thorough and has one hour of open oral arguments, whereafter once all of the arguments are heard, the nine leave alone to vote on the case. Once the decision is made, one of the justices on the majority side writes up an opinion on the decision made and why they made it. This arguing opinion typically takes the longest time to write as law clerks help draft the opinion since this argument can typically be binding for decisions for other courts for the rest of time. Usually, the draft takes about four weeks. Other justices can create side opinions, if necessary, and on rare occasions the majority becomes the minority.

Sometimes, the Supreme Court makes mistakes such as the Dred Scott decision which was one of the courts greatest self inflicting wounds. The court ruled in favor of not granting African Americans citizenship and counting them as people. This was obviously later overturned but goes to show that the Supreme Court is not perfect. Ultimately, the power of the court is the trust earned of the American people. No one is there to deny the decisions of the Supreme Court, and that is why faith must be placed in them to keep laying down major foundations for the future of our country.