The Supreme Court of The United States

In class, we watched a video on the Supreme Court. Here is what I learned...

It all starts when either the defendant or the accused is unhappy with the outcome of their court case. They may appeal against the decision the initial court made in hopes that a higher court will rule a different outcome. The final court that may be appealed to is called the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

SCOTUS is composed of nine Justices, and whatever decision is reached is final. Of the 7,000 cases the Supreme Court is asked to review every year, only around 100 cases are fully considered.

The Justices will get a written argument from both the defendant and the accused of the selected case. The Justices will review the facts of the case and an oral argument will then take place. Once all the information has been presented to the Justices, they will privately meet and come to a conclusion.

Afterward, the Chief Justice, currently Justice John Roberts, will choose a member of the majority to write an opinion on how the court reached their decision. Another Justice may choose to write an opinion either refuting the decision or supporting the decision but refuting the reasoning behind the opinion.

A common misconception is that courts are very secretive. However, written opinions ensure that nothing is left behind closed doors.

While the Judicial Branch is considered the weakest of our three branches of government, the Supreme Court has unique characteristics that make it just as important as the other branches.

First, Justices on the Supreme Court are impartial when it comes to political parties. While each Justice may have a reputation of ruling liberal or conservative on cases in the past, they begin each new case with an open mind and the intention of doing what’s best for The United States of America.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court Justices hold their office during good behavior. For many of the SCOTUS Justices, this is the last job they will ever have as they currently serve in their industry’s highest position possible. Therefore, they can make unbiased decisions for each case.

Additionally, the Judicial Branch innately deals with the country’s most pressing issues. While Congress has control over what topics they want to focus on, Supreme Court Justices have minimal control as the cases they discuss are issues directly brought to them by US citizens. Thus, they are always dealing with prevalent conflicts.

 

I recently visited the Supreme Court with a small group from my high school just before COVID-19 took over. We watched the oral arguments for Babb v. Wilkie, met with Justice Clarence Thomas, and got a “behind the scenes” tour of the Supreme Court. It was amazing! See my post "We Missed School to do WHAT?!" to learn more about the trip.

     

FUN FACT! The Supreme Court of the United States is commonly referred to as “the highest court in the land”, but did you know that there is a court ‘higher’ than the Supreme Court? A basketball court currently sits directly above the courtroom. A sign displayed while entering the room warns, “PLAYING BASKETBALL AND WEIGHTLIFTING ARE PROHIBITED WHILE THE COURT IS IN SESSION.” Rumor has it that the sign was added after a clerk was dribbling a ball and it was heard during oral arguments in the courtroom below.

We Missed School to do WHAT?!

Cary Academy High School Washington DC Trip

In the midst of the flu going around Cary Academy High School, fourteen members of CA’s Campus Conservatives Club escaped on the opportunity of a lifetime. After school on Tuesday, January 14^th we piled into cars and began our four-hour journey to Washington DC. 

            Despite the next morning starting with an incredibly early wakeup call from Ms. Nix, we were all excited to begin making memories. Dressed in business attire, we navigated through the complex public transportation system. We all made it thanks to Dr. Nix’s expert navigational skills and Mrs. Nix’s demand for us all to repeat the directions back… individually! 

After finishing the journey with a short walk in the cold DC weather, we finally made it to our destination - the Supreme Court of the United States. Thanks to Haley Nix we were able to get tickets to watch the oral arguments of the SCOTUS case Babb v. Wilkie with front row seats! We were even lucky enough to witness Chief Justice John Marshall say “ok, boomer” in person. 

Kendyl George (’22) said “sitting in on a Supreme Court oral argument was nothing like I had expected from watching court cases in movies or on television. By being just a few feet from the justices and attorneys, we were immersed in the process of our country's judicial system. It was fascinating to experience the intimate setting where monumental decisions in the history of the United States had been made.” 

Eric Xing (’20) said “there was laughs, there was roasts and there was an incredibly tricky court case that we got to see.”

Loren Troan (’20) said “I've never before been to see history. I see where it happened, what it happened to, and occasional what poor souls got in its way, but in the oral arguments I finally got to see it. The power and tension in every word, the absolute focus and silence of the hundred-odd spectators, and the demonstrated knowledge and expertise of the lawyers and justices, all contained in a historic and beautiful room, was like nothing I had ever seen before.”

            When the oral arguments finished, we walked to a nearby restaurant to refuel with burgers and fries because hey… we’re Americans. What do you expect? 

            When we finished eating lunch, we returned to the Supreme Court for what most students thought to be the highlight of the trip – meeting Justice Clarence Thomas. As a group of young conservatives, we took the opportunity to ask Justice Thomas about his life as a conservative and as a Justice on the Supreme Court. He was extremely nice and inspiring. 

Clay Thornton (‘21) said “it was really fascinating to learn about Justice Thomas’ childhood and his journey. I never knew that he was a radical leftist at one point in his life. I thought that learning about how he gradually strayed from that path through critical thinking and constantly questioning the status quo was especially interesting.” 

Shannon Jenkins (’21) said “I’ll never forget Justice Clarence Thomas’s advice to think, considering the impact of our choices and beliefs. I learned from him and this trip that our views are our own, but it is our responsibility to challenge them.”

After talking with Justice Thomas for about an hour, we went to his office and took photos with him. 

Before leaving, we were escorted on a tour of the building to see the library and the basketball court that sits above the courtroom. It was amazing to see that not much has changed since the building was built in 1935. We even rode in the original elevators! 

When our tour of the Supreme Court ended, we walked to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. We learned about the history of the conservative party and what they do as an organization. 

Nobody wanted the trip to come to an end, but we had to get back for classes on Thursday. This was an experience that won't easily be forgotten. Meeting Justice Thomas and witnessing the oral arguments in the Supreme Court room was an opportunity of a lifetime, learning about the conservative party firsthand from experts was fascinating, and bonding with students from all four grades at CA was thrilling. 

David Howard (’22) said “The trip to Washington was just a really cool experience. It allowed me to get to know some more people that I don’t typically interact with on the average day at Cary Academy.”

I’m constantly told “you have no idea how lucky you are” when I share my experience, however I’m well aware. Thanks to the Nix family and everyone who went into making this trip possible, I have stories and experiences that I’ll be sharing with my grandchildren.