Safeguarding Liberty, Preserving the Union, and Upholding the Rule of Law

What to say when your family can't pick something to eat for dinner...

Lets make a decision.

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The Supreme Court has been making important decisions for hundreds of years. With the Supreme Law of The Land, The US Constitution, as their one and only guideline, the Supreme Court and it's 9 appointed Justices have been making crucial interpretations which have shaped the Country and it's laws which govern your life and rights from day to day. These decisions don't come easy and are often steeped in controversy. Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice from Arizona, reflects on the importance of the job that her and her fellow justices have at hand. She says "One of the difficulties every justice faces, is that over time it's as though we've stepped through a fresh patch of concrete. We've left footprints behind us as we go with some of the opinions that we've written, and then it becomes less open to change." Decisions, however important they may be, can take months to decide. With many justices often changing their mind, and new drafts being made, when the final opinions are released their impacts become set in place and change the course of American history forever. If the court ever stopped defending the Constitution then the government would go unchecked leaving people's rights open and vulnerable. The importance of The Court in the American system is truly immeasurable.

With all of this importance, the Justices have a big weight on their shoulders when deciding a case, as each decisions becomes written in stone and applied to the whole country. Good or bad, each decision has a huge effect on the country and it's laws. Think Roe v. Wade which deemed state regulation of abortions illegal, or Miranda v. Arizona which resulted in a specified code of conduct for police interrogations. Each decisions, however minor some may seem, play a huge role regarding your rights as an American citizen. After all, how can you know if your rights are being violated if you don't know what your rights are?

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Want more information on current Supreme Courses happening today? Check out the decisions that could be changing your life.