At the head of our federal court system stands the United States Supreme Court. Many present-day US citizens possess minimal knowledge regarding the Supreme Court and how it functions. The Supreme Court serves as the ultimate authority in legal interpretation and its verdicts can only be altered by a constitutional amendment. The Court is in charge of making authoritative decisions concerning many of the most important issues of our time. The Court reviews decisions made by lower courts and its rulings are declared final following a majority vote by the justices. The United States Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices. However, the nine justices of the Supreme Court are not elected; they
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At times the Court must oppose the wishes of a majority group to comply with the principles and values mentioned in the Constitution. The Supreme Court is similar to a referee in sports, their decisions may not always seem “fair” to everyone as a whole, yet we learn to deal with them. During the past several decades, important decisions made by the Supreme Court have often led to democratic disputes. In the past, final verdicts by the Court were accepted by a majority of Americans, however these verdicts were critically opposed by some groups of minorities. One of the most famous Supreme Court cases, Roe v. Wade (1973) presented women with the right to make their own decision concerning abortion. Another well-known case, Engel v. Vitale (1962) prohibited the use of prayer in public schools. Certain cases like these have led critics to accuse the Court of abusing its power in the political system. Former attorney general Edwin Meese III is one of the most notable critics to accuse the court of exceeding its proper role in society. Meese insisted that the justices of the Supreme Court should be strictly guided by the words of the Constitution and the intentions of those who drafted them. When examining the Constitution, we must respect all parts of the document and remain true to the Constitution in its …show more content…
I believe that members of the Supreme Court should not be able to serve lifelong terms. Enforcing term limits would make it less likely for a Court to consist of very elderly justices whose opinions are far outdated for coping with current problems and needs of The United States. In addition, we should apply supplementary constitutional values with the intention of protecting the rights of individuals and groups that the framers never considered protecting. In conclusion, I believe that a strong judiciary branch is necessary to keep the President, Congress and state governments from ignoring the checks and balances that have been placed on their powers by the United States
At times the Court must oppose the wishes of a majority group to comply with the principles and values mentioned in the Constitution. The Supreme Court is similar to a referee in sports, their decisions may not always seem “fair” to everyone as a whole, yet we learn to deal with them. During the past several decades, important decisions made by the Supreme Court have often led to democratic disputes. In the past, final verdicts by the Court were accepted by a majority of Americans, however these verdicts were critically opposed by some groups of minorities. One of the most famous Supreme Court cases, Roe v. Wade (1973) presented women with the right to make their own decision concerning abortion. Another well-known case, Engel v. Vitale (1962) prohibited the use of prayer in public schools. Certain cases like these have led critics to accuse the Court of abusing its power in the political system. Former attorney general Edwin Meese III is one of the most notable critics to accuse the court of exceeding its proper role in society. Meese insisted that the justices of the Supreme Court should be strictly guided by the words of the Constitution and the intentions of those who drafted them. When examining the Constitution, we must respect all parts of the document and remain true to the Constitution in its …show more content…
I believe that members of the Supreme Court should not be able to serve lifelong terms. Enforcing term limits would make it less likely for a Court to consist of very elderly justices whose opinions are far outdated for coping with current problems and needs of The United States. In addition, we should apply supplementary constitutional values with the intention of protecting the rights of individuals and groups that the framers never considered protecting. In conclusion, I believe that a strong judiciary branch is necessary to keep the President, Congress and state governments from ignoring the checks and balances that have been placed on their powers by the United States