Does The Supreme Court Have Too Much Power Essay

The Supreme Court is one of the most important and influential pieces of our government. Their major role is to ensure American citizens are promised equal justice under the law. With this high of a stance a major question is asked, does this court carry too much power? The Supreme Court consists of nine justices, chief justice, and eight others. Once appointed by the president, justices work for a lifetime unless told otherwise. During their time serving, many rules and expectations were set in place to ensure they would not abuse the power granted. Because justices are held to certain expectations and limits, this court does not have too much power. The Supreme Court, like many other important roles, has different limits to keep them in

It takes a lot for a justice to be appointed. First, all justices must be trained in law before being appointed. “Like all federal judges, justices are appointed by the President and are confirmed by the Senate. They, typically, hold office for life.” (uscourts.gov, N.D.) This is a prime example of how justices aren’t granted power unless seen fit. Justices go through a lengthy process to get to the office. This process helps protect the independence of the judiciary from the other branches. The president along with the executive branch and the senate, not only hires the justices but also keeps them in check throughout their terms. The president’s main way of keeping the court within the limit is through filing court vacancies. This impacts court outcomes majorly. Along with the lengthy process of getting hired, most serve a lifetime appointment. Justices can work until death or are told otherwise. Due to this fact, the court members are very isolated from public opinion. This allows them to “apply the law with only justice in mind, and not electoral and or political concerns.” (whitehouse.gov, N.D.) By this example of isolating these justices from outside perspectives, it is easy for the Supreme Court to not abuse the power given. They are first trained before entering office, and while in office only true details influence their decision making. With all these expectations

The court doesn’t run trials, instead they “interpret the meaning of the law, to decide whether a law is relevant to a particular set of facts, or to rule on how a law should be applied.” Exclaimed the (whitehouse.gov, N.D.) This is a major way to show how the Supreme Court works within limits. Cases are not brought to them automatically, instead only when they have already been seen. Even then, another thorough trial isn’t run, justices review and fix what is needed. Also, the Supreme Court isn’t the one determining the jurisdiction of federal courts. Only in a few cases, they are granted original jurisdiction from Congress that cannot be taken away. This happens only in cases involving “suits between two or more states and/or cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers.” (uscourts.gov, N.D) Cases that need original jurisdiction happen very rarely, only in minute portions or 1-2 cases a term. Plus, Congress has full authority to override decisions the Supreme Court makes. This is another detail that keeps justices in check. By a decision being overridden, justices learn from this making new ethics in the long run. In most examples, the court has appellate jurisdiction (the authority to review cases that have already been heard in lower courts.) Appellate courts cannot retry the case until they determine if it has applied the law properly. The