Supreme Court Reflection

The U.S Supreme Court is the Powerful Court in the World

After watching the documentary about the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, I learned several things that I did not know before. One of the most interesting points was that the Supreme Court hears its cases in public, allowing people to observe an institution that has such an important role in American government.

I also learned that the Supreme Court moved to Washington, D.C., in 1801. Another fact that stood out was that there have been more than one hundred Supreme Court justices throughout history. While the average justice serves about sixteen years on the bench, some have served much longer.

The most important takeaway for me is that the Supreme Court depends on the trust of the American people. The Court is often described as impartial and unbiased, and its authority ultimately rests on public confidence in its decisions.

Current Supreme Court Justices

The documentary showed how the Court handles some of the nation’s biggest questions. Great national issues are argued before the justices, who then decide whether lower courts applied the law correctly and whether decisions are constitutional.

One of the most surprising things I learned was the tradition of the justices shaking hands every time they enter conference meetings or the courtroom. I was also surprised to learn that during discussions, each justice speaks once before anyone speaks a second time. These customs help promote respect and fairness among the members of the Court.

Another lesson that stood out was a statement about the responsibility of serving on the Court: you forget that you are doing your job at the Supreme Court when you forget that you are in the Supreme Court. That idea emphasized the importance of humility and responsibility in such a powerful position.

An Important Moment in History

The documentary also discussed historical moments, including the Dred Scott case and the years of Chief Justice John Marshall, when the Court gained greater public acceptance.

Before watching the documentary, I thought of the Supreme Court mainly as a group that issued legal decisions. After watching it, I see it as an institution built on tradition, public trust, and careful deliberation. The video gave me a greater appreciation for how the Court operates and why its role remains so important in American society.

AI Disclaimer: AI was not used in the research and information for this blog post. All information came from notes that I took while watching a video titled “Supreme Court of the United States.” I then prompted Microsoft Copilot Pro to help me shape my notes into a blog post of between 300 and 3350 words written in a smooth professional style. I then added links to online sources that the reader could pursue for more information. Finally I added appropriate images and captions to help break up the type and give the post a more professional look.  

Top 5 Sources of News

1. Fox News

Growing up, especially when I would wake up for school and go downstairs for breakfast, the news would be on and it would be Fox News. My parents put it on and I would watch it usually to help me wake up. In all seriousness, as I got older what I came to like about Fox News is that some news outlets were either not publishing a story that others were or some details would not be the same as other sources. When it came to Fox News, I found after doing a compare and contrast, that they told and reported the story, so people could be informed. Fox News is a good and reliable news source because it not only reports the facts, but they bring in people with opposing views to try and get both sides of a story and/ or a perspective. 

    

2. NBC

NBC is another news source that my family would have on and that I would watch, especially during the evening. What I like about NBC is that they know how to connect with their audience on air, and in print. Being able to connect with an audience along with reporting on facts and the story has always brought me back to NBC. People may say that NBC and Fox contradict one another; however, I do not see it that way. Both report facts and the story, but they shed a different light on it. Using NBC as a news source will showcase how they can break a story thoroughly, tell an informative story, and bring to light perspectives and details that a person might not have thought of yet. 

      

3. ESPN

ESPN is a sports news hub. If people want the most accurate and precise details, ESPN has it covered. So many people, including myself, have their notifications turned on, so we can always stay informed on all that is sports. What I really like about ESPN and the “clout,” so to speak, that they have is once they report on something, people believe it is most likely true and accurate. The journalists that report on the news in the sports world are very highly thought of and have been in the business for a good period of time. When using ESPN as a source of news, not only do journalists report stories, but sometimes athletes themselves and their agents report directly to ESPN. This shows how much they trust what they do. ESPN is a trustworthy source with constant updates and stories throughout the day, including contract deals, player developments, suspensions, and so much more.

4. Tik Tok

In today’s society, millions of people are on their phones, and a lot of what people are doing is going on social media, and a lot of that is TikTok. I will admit I am one of those people. TikTok is where people scroll, doom-scroll, and for this instance, get news. The news aspect comes from different perspectives, which includes the people themselves recording what is happening and news sources having accounts to publish clips of need-to-know news segments. When I am on TikTok, what I enjoy is if I am not using a TV or a larger screen, my phone can provide the news in short clips, so I can stay informed. One big thing is: do not believe everything you see on social media. If I see something, I will, after the fact, go fact-check it on Safari or Google to see if any news outlets have reported on it. If they have, I know it might be true; if not, I stay on the fence and do some more research. I recommend young kids and adults, if they want to be informed, use social media like TikTok to stay up to date, but also investigate when needed, so you are not being fed misinformation.

       

5. Google 

Google is not necessarily a news source; however, it is what provides us with the news stories to click on. When you go and search something up, Google might bring a recent or old news story up relevant to what a person searched up. Google brings news stories to users, which then helps out the actual news sources that publish the story. That is what I like about Google; it makes finding news sources quick and efficient. Using Google allows users to make their search as broad or as specific as they want to get the most out of their search and find the story/information they were searching for.