The Supreme Court Foundations

The Supreme Court can be considered one of the most important parts of the judicial body. It's considered one of the most important parts because the Supreme Court has the final say in all cases that involve the laws of Congress and the Constitution. However, the power of the Supreme Court is limited by the other two branches of government, the Executive branch and the Legislative branch. This limitation of power is also known as checks and balances.

Another reason why the supreme court is so powerful is because it has the ability to check the actions of both the President and Congress. For example, if the Presidents actions conflict with the Constitution the Supreme Court can stop or override his or hers actions. Regarding the Congress, an example is when the Supreme Court vetos a law passed by Congress that interferes with the Constitution. As a summary, the job of the Supreme Court is to make sure all branches of government abide by the rules of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices and one chief justice. The President of the United States nominates these justices to the court. These appointed justices serve life terms, even after the presidents finish their terms. The final decisions made by the Supreme Court take place in the United States Supreme Court House is Washington DC. The cases that the Supreme Court agrees too hear is given a court date, however thats not always the case. Some cases are handed down to the lower courts. The process of a Supreme Court case is long and thorough. It usually consists of an hour of open oral arguments and concludes with the justices leaving to vote on the case. Once the decision is made the justices are obligated to write an opinion and reasoning on the decision made.

The Supreme Court is not perfect and can make mistakes, which is rare but it has happened before. A famous case, known as the Dred Scott Decision, was one instance where the Supreme Court did not abide by the constitution. The Court ruled in favor of not granting African Americans citizenship, this was obviously soon overturned in favor of the African Americans.