Blog #2: Supreme Court

 

The Supreme Court

Photo of the Supreme Court Building

 

    The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and plays a crucial role in the American system of government. Prior to completing the reading from the History Channel, I did have some knowledge of the inner workings of the Supreme Court due to my major in Political Science. The reading highlights a wealth of history in of the Supreme Court and some very interesting cases that justices have been able to vote and decide on. 

 

 

 

 

 

While I had some prior understanding, this reading allowed me to refresh and solidify my grasp on aspects of history I hadn't fully retained. I delved deeper into the role and responsibilities of the Chief Justice, uncovering facets I was previously unfamiliar with. Notably, I discovered that the Chief Justice is mandated to sit on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Additionally, the Chief Justice presides over impeachment trials, a responsibility that particularly captured my attention.

 

Something that I didn't know much about and also was surprising to me was how active Justice Earl Warren was while serving on the bench. While serving as a justice on the bench Justice Warren oversaw and issued numerous landmark decisions, including ones that banned school segregation (Brown v. Board of Education), put in place Miranda rights or the “right to remain silent” warning given by police (Miranda v. Arizona), and abolished interracial marriage prohibitions (Loving v. Virginia).