After reading "Supreme Court" on History.com, I learned new facts about how the Supreme Court began. The first six Chief Justices had their first meeting on February 2nd, 1790 at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. The Court did not change to its current structure of nine Justices until 1869. I never knew that the Supreme Court didn't have any real cases when it was first assembled. Instead, it focused on its organization and rules.
A takeaway that was most important to me is the Supreme Court is the highest Federal Court in the United States and the head of the Judicial Branch of the government. It has ruled on cases that are very important to our nation, such as those involving civil rights and freedom of speech. I now have a better appreciation of just how powerful the Court is and how it affects Americans' everyday lives.
What surprised me the most was that there have been 115 Justices who have served on the Supreme Court. Since Justices receive lifetime appointments and many serve until their deaths, I thought there would be fewer of them. The most recent Justices appointed to the court (Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett) were in their forties and fifties at the beginning of their terms, which means they could serve even longer than their predecessors.
Before reading the article, I thought there would be a list of qualifications that a Justice would need to have. Surprisingly, there is nothing in the Constitution that specifies this. It is totally up to the President to name a nominee. The nominee is then confirmed after a Senate hearing. There are no rules about what type of judicial experience they should have or their education. Since the Court decides cases that impact the lives of all Americans, I thought there would be strict rules about who is allowed to serve. I wonder if the process puts the most qualified candidates on the bench, or if it is more political than I previously thought.
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