Post 2: The History and Workings of the Supreme Court

 Overview: The Supreme Court of the United States, which is the highest federal court in the United States, was established by the U.S Constitution to act as the head of the judicial branch of government. The job of the Supreme Court is to have jurisdiction over all the laws in the United States and to determine the constitutionality of these laws. The Supreme Court also has the power to keep the other two branches of government, the executive and legislative branches, in check. 

History: The Supreme Court was originally established in 1789 when it was written into Article Three of the U.S Constitution. Article Three also gave congress "the power to create inferior federal courts,"and to "decide the organization of the Supreme Court." This power of the legislative branch was first exercised with the Judiciary Act of 1789 which George Washington signed. This law stipulated that the Supreme Court would consist of six justices who would serve until the retired or passed away. Although the first court had six seats, Congress has altered the number many times throughout the years and finally settled on nine seats which it still has today. The court had its first meeting on February 2, 1790 at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City, however it never actually took any cases during its first term. The first time the six justices handed down their decision was on August 3, 1791 for the West v. Barnes case which involved a farmer and a family he owed money to. For more than 100 years after the establishment of the Supreme Court the justices were required to hold circuit court twice a year due to the travel methods, but this rule was abolished in 1891 by Congress.

Supreme Court Justices: In order to become a Supreme Court justice the President of the United States has to nominate someone and then that person is either confirmed or denied by the U.S Senate. The justices in the first Supreme court were John Jay, John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison, and James Wilson. The chief justice is considered the highest judicial officer in the nation and holds the responsibility of presiding over the Supreme Court and handling the weekly schedule for the justice's meetings. When the chief justice is in the majority party during a case, "the justice has the authority to assign who will write the courts opinion."Additionally, the chief justice heads impeachment trials against the President of the United States.  Currently, the justices in the Supreme Court are Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. 

Cases: The Supreme Court has taken on many cases over the years which have left a lasting impact on the nation. Some of the most notable cases are Dred Scott v. Sandford which denied citizenship to African Americans in 1857, Plessy v. Ferguson which upheld state segregation laws in 1896, and the Engel v. Vitale which ruled that prayer initiated in public schools violated First Amendment rights in 1962.