The Supreme Court was founded in March of 1789 and is the most powerful judicial body in the whole world. There are nine judges that serve at a time with each member serving for an average of 16 years. The judges that serve on the Supreme Court are primarily responsible to the law and the verdict given is always decided by the nine judges, making public opinion a non-factor. On average, the Supreme Court receives 7,000 cases a year, 100 of which are seriously considered. When a case is chosen to be reviewed, the judges receive the case one week prior to Court beginning. During the hearing, the lawyer one each side gets 30 uninterrupted minutes to plead their case. After both lawyers plead their case, the nine judges vote on the verdict a few days later with one of the nine writing an opinion about the case. On average, it takes about four weeks for a first draft to be completed but the opinion sometimes takes longer than expected because the judge writing the opinion has to make sure the other eight judges are satisfied as well before formally submitting it.
Throughout the Supreme Court's 231 year history there have been many famous cases that have shaped and also damaged the reputation of the Court. For example, in the famous Scott v Sandford case of 1857, the Court denied citizenship to African-American slaves which wound up being a major event leading up to the Civil War. Another major decision made by the Supreme Court which was positive and monumental came in 2013 when the Court ruled that governments did not have the ability to deny and federal benefits to same-sex couples. Two years later, in 2015, the Court legalized same-sex marriage across all 50 states.
The Supreme Court has made many mistakes over their long history but overall, the Court's importance and responsibility to the United States, its citizens, and the constitution, can not be understated.
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