The Rise of the US Supreme Court

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The Rise of the US Supreme Court


Starting from the Bottom

Let us dive in and take a look at the history of the U. S. Supreme Court. Although it is a powerful entity now, it has not always been one. History shows that in 1789 the power of the United States’ highest court was being delegated to the Legislative and Executive branches. Subsequently, the Judiciary branch received little acknowledgment, leaving its power neglected. “The Founding Father Alexander Hamilton argued, “The judiciary branch would be the least dangerous branch, due to the fact that it depended on Congress for its funding.” During these early years, the US government was run by the wealthy who did not abide by the constitution and therefore had little use for the Court. The US Supreme was so demeaned that it was given only four cases to decide even after being established for many years.



The Change

John Marshall was appointed as the US Supreme Court’s fourth Chief Justice in 1801 and he immediately changed the game. Marshall energetically worked to give the US Supreme Court a more prominent role in the government. Declaring, “It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is,” Marshall carried this mission out. Under Marshall’s leadership, the Court placed a claim on its power over the Legislative branch by striking down an unconstitutional act of Congress. With this monumental action, the Judicial branch finally gained equal status with the Legislative and the Executive branches of the US government.



Highest Court in the Land

There is no doubt that the US Supreme Court has evolved since 1789. Today the Court hears about 100-150 of the more than 7,000 cases that it is asked to review each year. After the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, the Court began ruling that most of the Bill of Rights’ provisions were applicable on the state level as well as on the federal level. Eventually, the Court gained the final say over when a right is protected by the Constitution or when a Constitutional right is violated. This power formed the basis for the court's landmark decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954) regarding racial segregation, Roe v. Wade (1973) regarding abortion, and Bush v. Gore (2000) regarding the 2000 presidential election. Looking at these cases alone, that have changed the lives of millions of Americans and have had worldwide implications, the US Supreme Court has clearly become the Highest Court in the Land.



Cited:

https://theweek.com/articles/799875/evolution-supreme-court









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