Blog Post #2

 The Founding Era

After watching the videos and reading the overview about the Supreme Court created by the History Channel, I now feel as though I have a much better grasp on its importance and what the Supreme Court really is.

One thing that I did not know prior to learning from these sources was that the Supreme Court justice
nominees must get approved by the Senate. I had known that justices were appointed by the current president but did not realize how big of a role the Senate also played. 

In my opinion, the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court is that while the power of the Supreme Court is protected in the Constitution, the real power comes from society's faith in them. I found this point so important given that the Supreme Court holds the highest power and yet even they rely on the faith we as a society have in them. An interesting showing of this is described in an article by Brennan Center about why it is important that there is diversity within the Supreme Court justices. By having the knowledge that it is society who must have faith in the Supreme Court, it only makes sense that all people feel spoken for when it comes to some of the biggest decisions being made in our country. 

The most surprising aspect that I took from the video was how important the confirmation process is. While I knew that once a Supreme Court justice was appointed that they were there for life, it did not resonate with me until now how crucial the confirmation process is. Since there are no elections for Supreme Court justices after they have been in office, it is even more important that the president at the time and the Senate choose wisely. 

Prior to watching the Part 1 and Part 2 , I was under the impression that the justices were loyal to the political party of the president who appointed them. After watching, it is clear to me that their loyalty does not lie with a political party nor the public, but instead with upholding the Constitution. Along with the other points touched on this blog, this is one of the main take-aways I think everyone should know and have faith in with our Supreme Court.