Supreme Court Article Reflection

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The article: https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/supreme-court-facts

What I learned

The supreme court has changed drastically through this nations nearly 250 years of existence. I knew that the amount of justices on the court has increased through this time; from six to nine. In fact, people are still arguing that it should be increased more to this day. What I did not know is that that initial number, six, was not specifically written into the constitution. According to the article, that number was specified by the judiciary act of 1789.

I also did not know that, prior to 1891, two times per year the court was required to travel to every judicial circuit in the nation to hold circuit courts. This sounds really hard to properly organize so it makes sense that this practice was abolished in 1891.

How the Article Changed How I Think About the Court

Learning that the amount of justices was not even planned when the constitution was drafted caused me
to think of the supreme court as neglected. When we think about the three branches of government, it's easy to see the legislative and executive branches as more important. I get the impression that the early founders of the United States government thought in a similar way. But as time has gone on, the court has gained a lot of power. It can singlehandedly decide constitutionality and reverse existing laws. 

Important takeaway

The most important takeaway about the supreme court is that it is constantly evolving. The supreme court of the early days of the U.S. is almost unrecognizable to how it is today. The court has and will continue to change in order to ensure that the values of the constitution are upheld.

Images Used:

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