The History of SCOTUS

 

When it comes to the branches of government, it always felt like the Supreme Court was what was covered the least, maybe behind the Commander in Chief. The Supreme Court was just the Supreme Court. They're the big group in charge who serves until they die. As such, it was difficult to recall what exactly I knew about them. Compared to the extensive work I had to do memorizing the legislative branch and its aspects while I was in high school, this was practically nothing.

The Supreme Court faced a unique challenge early on: in the name of fairness to all circuits of the new states, they had to hold court at least twice a year in each one. As people who could only travel on horseback, this was a monumental task. Even though it seems like a good idea on paper, it's incredible that this was ever implemented. Even worse, they chose to have this as a continued duty for another century before Congress abolished it. At the point it was done away with as a hard rule, there were forty-two states to navigate over the course of the year, much of it still covered in stretches of wilderness. A burden was lifted off of their shoulders when the Evarts Act was implemented, adding an additional level of courts and judges specifically to smooth over the bumps in the bureaucratic road to justice. The early judges having to endure such grueling work increased my respect for the work they do. Even if the number of cases they take on is incredibly small, the impact of each case and the production behind it is monumental.

 

I only knew about John Jay because of his work on the Federalist Papers and as one of the few Founding Fathers who didn't sign the Declaration of Independence. I was never aware of his work afterwards, believing that he most likely went back to being a Congressman. However, he was the first Chief Justice of the United States. If the President faced impeachment, the Chief Justice would preside over the case, giving him authority over who is often considered the most powerful man in the world. 

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Picture of the Supreme Court