2: The Duties of a Supreme Court Justice

The Supreme Court is made up of 9 Justices who receive petitions to deal with a wide variety of cases.  Each Justice is appointed by a president, and they tend to serve around 16 years.  They are the most powerful judicial body on earth.  Their job requires them to interpret the Constitution and apply it to modern day cases, while also drawing boundaries for the other branches of our government.

The 9 current Supreme Court Justices

John Marshall was the first Chief Justice.  Under his leadership, the Supreme Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional for the first time.  Marshall and the Court helped to shape the nation using the Constitution as a guide, which earned them respect from the rest of the country.  Twenty years later, Chief Justice Taney made a ruling that Congress did not have the power to ban slavery.  This diminished the Court's respect and authority.  The Civil War ultimately led to a change in the Constitution that defined citizenship to be more inclusive under the 14th Amendment.  The change effectively abolished slavery and granted voting rights.  From this point on, the Supreme Court built back up their status to be as respected as they are today.

The Supreme Court receives petitions for thousands of cases each year.  When deciding on cases, the Justices individually review each then gather to discuss which ones to take.  The cases that they take tend to hold national significance.  Once they decide on a case and it appears in their court, each side is given 30 minutes for oral argument.  This process consists of attorneys presenting their case and the Justices questioning different aspects of the case that they want further clarification on.  A few days later, the 9 Justices meet in private to vote.  Then, one of the Justices who voted on the side of the majority is assigned to write an opinion that explains the legal reasons for their decision.  The opinions written for each case that the Supreme Court rules on become precedent for all other courts in the future.  Any other Justice can also write an additional opinion disagreeing or agreeing with the result but for different reasons.  Every opinion is reviewed and revised among all of the Justices, which can go on for months.  The decisions and opinions are released in late June at the end of the term.

This information came from a two-part YouTube video (Part I, Part II).  These videos paint a clear picture of the duties of a Supreme Court Justice.  Being a Justice is a very prestigious position, and being on a panel of 9 judges with competing views on all of the different topics that they deal with shows a true passion for their work.  Discussing so many important cases and coming to a majority decision that applies to the entire nation is a position of tremendous influence and power; however, it seems that the Justices work together in a way that holds each other accountable and that is best for our country.