Post Two: U.S. Supreme Court

This week in class, we learned so much about the U.S. government, branches of government, and allocation of power. We specifically focused on the Supreme Court. It's been since high school since I've had any class on U.S. government, and it's been since middle school that I truly comprehensively studied the branches of government. This was a good (and very necessary) refresher.

In class, we discussed the "formula for American democracy" which explains how we shift power from federal level to state level to power in the hands of each individual. Professor Smith discusses how America is the only country that at its core believes in limited government. We have enumerated powers which means the powers of each government entity is written out and assigned. The government gets its power through the consent of the people, and these powers tell the government what they can and cannot do. American democracy believes in freedom maximization for its people. We want the largest amount of freedom for each individual without interfering with another person's freedom. Professor Smith coined this "ordered liberty."

The Supreme Court is the Judicial branch of the United State the highest court in the United States, and its main role is to guard and uphold the Constitution. It manages cases appealing to the Constitution and has the authority to prevent laws that are unconstitutional. Many of the Supreme Court decisions are made by the nine justices that make up the court. These justices are appointed by the president. However, the Senate can block the appointment. This means that filling the nine justice spots when one becomes available often becomes cut-throat and political. **I watched this video  and found it super helpful. It is a quick 2-minute video that simplifies everything, and a great watch if you have a couple minutes to spare in your day. 

The Supreme Court is very important to our daily lives as American citizens. Their role ensures that the First Amendment remains protected and after this week's class, I'm much more aware of just how important the role of the Supreme Court is in American democracy.

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Sources: Supreme Court History, Newsweek Video