The Founding Era & the Idea of America.

Post #2: U.S. Supreme Court 

What I Learned

After watching videos one and two based on the U.S. Supreme Court, one thing I learned about the Supreme Court that I didn't already know is the number of cases the court receives versus the number of cases that the court accepts for full consideration. As these cases come in each justice is assisted by a staff of law clerks and secretaries to decide each case. Previous to this video, I was under the impression that if a case went to the Supreme Court it was automatically looked over and accepted by the high level of the court, so I was a little surprised to find out that was not the case. Thousands of cases are sent, just not accepted. 

Important takeaways 

The most important takeaway from the videos I watched is the fact that the judges of the Supreme Court can't walk into the office and see a problem and just get started on resolving it. These justices have to wait for these cases or problems to be brought to the court's attention. I learned that after some time
once an issue has boiled up, the court will go ahead and make a ruling. This was my most important takeaway because it helped my understanding of the Supreme Court the most. 

Most Surprising 

After viewing this video the most surprising thing I learned was the time it takes for the new justices to adjust and be adequate to the task. In the video, one of the justices discusses how long it takes. They state that a justice doesn't start doing its work properly until they forget they are doing the work and it becomes second nature to them. I was shocked when I heard this because the people appointed are

some of the most qualified people in the world for the position, and it still takes these people 3 or 5 years until they are adjusted to the position.