U.S. Supreme Court

     Ultimate jurisdiction and evaluating the constitutionality of all the laws in the US falls into the responsibility of the US Supreme Court. Currently, the US Supreme Court is made up of nine justices that have the ability to check over every other branch of government. The first term that the US Supreme Court was actually established, there didn't even take any cases, as they had to plan out how they were going to actually hear cases and how the process is going to go when hearing said cases. Imagine back in the day, trying to get 6 people (set to 9 in 1869) in from all over the US to come together on the same day to represent and talk about one of the most important parts of our country today. This is a hardship to complete, as transportation was so different than it is today.

     

    Once things got rolling, they handed down their first decision ever on West v. Barnes, a farmer and a family he owed a debt to. The Supreme Court has had lasting impacts, giving decisions that shape what we know about the United States and how we look at different aspects of our constitution. Many cases are looked back upon and the ruling is changed, as there is a history of justices not living up to following the constitution wholeheartedly. This is the job of the US Supreme Court, to constantly check that all our decisions that we make as a nation are in line with the mindsets of our founding fathers. 

Famous cases to take a look at:

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Roe v. Wade (1973)

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

US v. Windsor (2013)

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts