Blog 2: The Supreme Court

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It is difficult to imagine why in 1795, John Jay, the first Chief Justice in the Supreme Court, resigned the highest court in the nation to become the governor of New York, and it may result incomprehensible that the newspapers of the era considered this move as a promotion. In John Jay's opinion, the Supreme Court of that time lacked power and dignity. The problem was that the Constitution did not define the judicial branch's organization and precise powers. The appointment of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1801, who served in the Supreme Court for thirty-four years, brought a significant transformation to the court that earned it public respect and elevated it as a co-equal branch of government, being one of those changes establishing the judicial review - the power of the Supreme Court to review actions of other branches of government and determine if such actions are constitutional - as the foundation of constitutional law.

In over 200 years, the interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court has evolved as now the Constitution contains twenty seven amendments. In addition, the Supreme Court's decisions on landmark cases set precedents of great magnitude that are used in the assessment of future cases. Supreme Court decisions have an impact on civil rights, labor law, taxes, criminal procedure, business, education, and several other issues. Marbury v. Madison, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright, Loving v. Virginia, Obergefell v. Hodges to mention some, led to changes in the law that have impacted the lives of millions of Americans. The Supreme Court is there as the last course of action for those seeking justice, and as the guardian of people's rights and liberties nullifying unconstitutional laws imposed by different government levels.
Image: http://s3.amazonaws.com/digitaltrends-uploads-prod/2016/03/supreme-court-united-states-washington-dc.jpg
Sources:
  • https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/institution.aspx
  • https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2015/06/26/supreme-court-cases-history/29185891

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