Blog Post #2

Blog Post #2

citation

The Supreme Court of the United States is a unique and vital part of the American political system. No other country has a system similar to the United States where measures are implemented in order to maintain control of the government so they do not assume too much power. The Supreme Court is the final and one of the most important parts of the United States' check and balance system. 

I had never really thought about the number of justices that have served. Justices serve for life making it very honorable if you get nominated. I consider it even more honorable than being elected President; however, more people can name the President than Surpeme Court Justices. A majority of the court has been elected in my lifetime, which made it seem as if it was a frequent event, but it is really not. There have only been 100 justices who serve an average of 16 years. 

By reading the History Channel Supreme Court overview, I learned that only one judge was impeached and also that it is not explicitly mentioned that justices have to serve for life. I also learned that over the course of time, they changed the amount of justices who served on the court ranging anywhere from 5 - 10, and I personally did not know that there was ever an even number of judges on the court. 

One of the most important take away was the fact that this is such a unique and meticulously set up system. One of the most surprising things I learned was the fact that President Taft served as a justice as well as a president, which I think is interesting considering that justices are not supposed to be affiliated with a political party. The article made me realize how much effort and thought the Founders put into this system of government.