US Supreme Court Essay Research Paper The

US Supreme Court Essay, Research Paper

The Supreme Court is the highest governing body that is known to us as the

people of the United States of America. In the 1998-99 term, the Supreme Court

is slated to hear cases on subjects as diverse as business monopolies, labor

unions, health insurers, initiative petitions and due process. The justices will

also revisit the issue of sexual harassment. The following will just be an

overview of how the Supreme Court operates. I will try to point out many things

throughout the course of this paper. The first points I will try to show is who

the notable past judges were and what major roles they had in our society. Next,

I will move into the justices of today and try to give a brief overview of them.

Then I will move into the courts specifically. I will try to show how the courts

work, how the justices go about choosing cases, hearing arguments, and making

decisions. Lastly, I will give an overview of some of the most historic cases

that have been heard by the United States Supreme Court and their decisions. As

a result, all of these factors considered should help to give a better

understanding of the Supreme Court and how it functions. Since the Supreme

Court’s inception in 1789, 108 justices have served on it. There have been 16

chief justices. Several members of the court became great figures in history or

were distinguished for contributions beyond their court service. There are four

chief justices that have helped shape the course of the American judiciary

system and the nation’s overall progress. John Marshall, who served as chief

justice from 1801-1835, was probably the most influential chief justice to

serve. Often called the great chief justice, Marshall was instrumental in

establishing the court’s authority in the national government. During his

tenure, the court began issuing single, majority opinions, enabling it to speak

with a more definitive, unified voice. Rulings over this era bolstered federal

power over states. Marshall wrote the 1803 decision in Marbury versus Madison,

which established judicial review of laws, passed by Congress. Next, was Charles

Evans Hughes who served as associate justice 1910-1916 and chief justice

1930-1941. He presided over the court during the Great Depression and the New

Deal era. Next, was William Howard Taft, who served as chief justice 1921-1930.

He was the only person to serve as President from 1909-1913 and as chief

justice. President William G. Harding appointed Taft chief justice. He

successfully pressed Congress to pass laws that gave the court almost unlimited

discretion to decide which cases it will hear. Lastly was Earl Warren, who

served as chief justice from 1953-1969. This is another man that people would

really recognize because of his affiliation to the FBI. Warren, a former

California governor, was appointed by Republican President Eisenhower, and took

a decidedly liberal course in a socially stormy era. His legacy includes

decisions forbidding school segregation, fair mapping of voting districts, and

enhancing rights of defendants in criminal trials. Just a couple of small things

to add on an aside note are the first African-American chief justice was

Thurgood Marshall, who served from 1967-1991, and the first female chief justice

was Sandra Day O’Connor, who has served from1981-present. Next I would just like

to rundown the list of current justices that will be hearing cases for this

term. Note that I will try to list the current justices in their order of their

seniority, who they were appointed by, and what year they were appointed. The

top dog, also known as the chief justice, is William H. Rehnquist, who was

appointed associate justice by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971 and was later

elevated to chief justice by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. The next justice

is John Paul Stevens, appointed by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. Next is

Sandra Day O’Connor appointed by President Reagan in1981. Antonin Scalia was

appointed by President Reagan also in 1986. The next justice in line would be

Anthony M. Kennedy who was appointed by President Reagan in 1988. The next

justice up the ladder is David Souter who was appointed justice by President

George Bush in 1990. The next justice is probably the most controversial figure

on the star panel. Clarence Thomas was appointed justice by President Bush in

1991. The two newest justices have recently been appointed by President Bill

Clinton. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed in 1993 and Steven G. Breyer was

appointed in 1994. This is the team that will be overseeing the cases that are

chosen in the 1998-1999 term. The next aspect that I would like to show about

the United States Supreme Court is none other than how exactly it works. The

Supreme Court’s efforts to establish the law of the land began in secrecy and

mostly solitude. On

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