The Supreme Court of the United States

I have never known much about the Supreme Court. I knew that it was one of the three U.S. branches of government, the Judicial and that it is the top legal source in the country. I knew that there are three levels of courts; district, appellate, and Supreme. The Supreme Court typically has nine justices that are appointed by the President and confirmed, or in cases denied, by the U.S. Senate. The amount of justice's originally was six, but was changes in 1869 to nine and has stayed there ever since. I learned that the Supreme Court is a branch that interprets the U.S. Constitution and has the ability to deem things as constitutional and unconstitutional.

I think the most surprising thing I learned was that the Supreme Court has the power to check the other central government branches. I knew that the U.S. has its branches set up as a system of checks and balances, but I never knew the Supreme Court was the primary check for the other branches. The video made me realize how powerful the Supreme Court actually is. I always thought of it as a slightly more authoritative court, never as the interpreters of the constitution. This video and the article have given me a new perspective on the Supreme Court and it's role in my life and the rest of the country's.