Blog Post #2: History of the Supreme Court

Brief History-

The United States Supreme Court stands as the highest federal court in the country. As the head of the Judicial branch of government, the Supreme court was established by the United States Constitution and hold the final word over American laws. The third Article of the U.S. constitution is what established the Supreme Court in 1789. This marked a great change in how the law works in American. We now have a set system that delegates court cases and assigns a role to each level of the courts. In a document signed by President George Washington, it was determined that the court would be comprised of six justices who remained in power until death or retirement.

Supreme Court Justice Highlight-

Looking back into history, the Supreme Court had a Chief Justice who is now seen to be highly influential. Chief Justice John Marshall defined the relationship between the judicial branch and the rest of the government that we see today. While he was in power, Marshall was one of many government officials who responded to the Marbury v. Madison case of 1803. With this case, he marked a moment in history by establishing the Supreme Court's power to review and rule whether or not the federal laws enacted by Congress are constitutional. Marshall served in his position for over thirty-four years; the longest term any chief justice has served.

Popular Supreme Court Cases-

~Mapp v. Ohio - 1961 (all evidence in criminal cases must be obtained legally)

~Texas v. Johnson - 1989 (burning of the flag and offensive speech is protected by the First  Amendment)

~Roe v. Wade - 1973 (women have the right to an abortion during the 1st two trimesters)

~U.S. v. Nixon - 1974 (President can't use his power to withhold evidence in criminal trials)

Fun Facts-

~President William Howard Taft was the only person to serve as both Supreme Court Justice and President (However he is well known for getting stuck in his bathtub...not his best moment)

~Thurgood Marshall was the first African American justice

~Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female justice

~Sonia Sotomayer was the first Hispanic justice

Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts