Supreme Court

 I did not know much about the Supreme Court, and these videos opened, my eyes to many different things.

I had yet to learn there were just under 100 justices. I know that they served for a long time and that many are waiting to take the current justice's place, but for some reason, I thought there would be more. I also learned they receive 100 new cases per week or 7000 per year. What's even more shocking is that they only accept about 100 a year. They all have to figure out together which ones are really worth the time and effort to vote on. 

I think the biggest takeaway is that such a small group of people are in charge of so much that goes on in our country, I already knew this but seeing it in the video and listening to them explain the inner workings of their job is shocking to me. It does bring me comfort that they are not just changing anything about the US that they do not like or agree with, but they are dealing with issues the people have spoken out about. I think that is very interesting.

I think the most surprising thing I learned was the process of opinion writing. To come to common ground about a case, the justices may take many months to decide the outcome of a case through the process of law clerks helping write opinions, and then the draft being sent to the justices for criticism. These opinion papers can also be upwards of 80 pages, and hundreds of hours being put into them. 

The video completely changed my perspective on the Supreme Court. I did not know how extensively these internal workings were used or how they worked at all. It is really amazing how such a small group of people are given such authority, and how they can work with each other so well to make good changes in this country. They are the foundation holding this country together, and it is great to hear that they are civil with each other and respect each other's opinions.