The United States Supreme Court: What it is and How it Works

 Let's cover the basics. you may be wondering, what even IS the supreme court?  Well, the supreme court is the highest federal court of the land and serves as the supreme law of the land as well. Defined in article 3 of our nation's constitution:

"The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."

the supreme court wasn't actually established until the passage of the judiciary act of 1789 and wasn't officially organized until the following year. the supreme court's goal is to:

1) Act as the final interpreter of the state and federal laws

2) Establish procedural rules for the federal courts below them

Why Is The Supreme Court Important?

The court sees several thousand cases every year however they tend to address larger scale issues such as:

• States suing states

• States holding cases against the federal government

• States cases against outside governments’

The supreme court does not only deal with state cases but much larger cases concerning social justice and equality.

E.g. Same sex marriage, immigration, racial profiling…..etc.

Though these cases must go through the court system, the supreme court gets the final say.

Who are the judges? What do they do?

The judges on the bench of the supreme court are instead referred to as justices. These people are among the most accomplished figures in our government's judicial system. Each member runs for candidacy and is selected by the sitting president. There are 9 justices, that way there is never a draw on important decisions. In the supreme court, majority rules.

The current supreme court justices (Pictured above) are (Left to right) Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh,

Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Breyer, Amy Coney Barrett

and Sonia Sotomayor.

There are no Constitutional Requirements to serve on the Supreme Court...
Justices tend to:
- have a law degree
- be white men
- be upper class
- be Protestant Christians

Justices are appointed to life terms - they serve until they die or resign
But, they can be impeached - this has only happened once.

What is the role of the Judicial Branch?

Under its appellate jurisdiction, the Court hears cases that are appealed from lower courts of appeals or cases in which an act of Congress has been ruled unconstitutional by a Federal Court. The Court can also hear appeals from the highest court at the state level, but only when there are claims that Federal law or the Constitution were violated.

Original Jurisdiction covers two types of cases:

- cases involving representatives of foreign governments

-certain cases to which a state is party

Landmark Cases

Some of the Landmark cases, cases that are studied due to their historical significance, that were heard by the supreme court which have shaped our nation as it is today includes the following:

- Brown V. Board of Education (School segregation and equal protection)

- Dredd Scott V. Sanford (Slavery and Due process)

- Obergefell V. Hodges (Marriage Equality)

- Roe V. Wade (Abortion and Right to Privacy)

- Plessy V. Ferguson (Equal Protection and "Separate but equal")

-Marbury V. Madison (Judicial Review)

Muckracking: Air Out Corruption

Muckraking: The Ideas Of Reform-Minded Journalists

The investigative techniques of the muckrakers include looking over and studying documents, conducting several interviews, and in some cases, going undercover. This is very different from yellow journalism, where newspapers sensationalized stories using simply an idea rather than facts. people could consider Muckraking to be a bad practice because of the journalists going undercover. The reason that someone may see going undercover as something negative is if they are a public figure or a political figure and they have secrets that they do not want being uncovered. on the other hand people may see yellow journalism as a negative practice because they are not fact checking as they should be and are just sensationalizing an idea.

When it comes to labeling something as good or bad, personally it is not something I enjoy doing. However, logically and morally, Yellow journalism is the moral equivalent to lying. Yellow journalism robs the American public of knowing all the detail and information they deserve to know on particular topics while Muckraking has much more legitimacy to it. The ways to differentiate the two is that muckraking will have much more detail, research and interviews surrounding the topic while yellow journalism will typically only have opinion pieces and publications rather than live interviews with professionals or any explicit details.

Muckraking is extremely similar if not identical to watchdog journalism. Thus, journalists should be involved in politics in the sense that they have a good knowledge of political processes and the officials in control of these processes. this is because then they can have some general understanding of what is going on and who they should speak to. I do not believe journalists should be personally involved in the politics they report on as that can lead to bias. Muckrakers are very similar to whistle blowers however muckrakers are journalists who expose the truths about public figure or institutions while whistleblowers are individuals who work for these institutions who decided to anonymously expose the things going on behind closed doors.

Muckraking is something that should be praised just as whistleblowing should be praised. this is because muckraking clears up the foggy window between our government and ourselves.

Movie Reflection: Goodnight and Goodluck

 Goodnight, and Good Luck is a very enlightening 2005 movie Directed by George Clooney. It depicts the ongoing conflict between Edward. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy

of Wisconsin, concerning the extreme anti-communist actions taken by the Senator. Although this is a completely fictional portrayal of the news industry. There was plenty to take

away from the movie that we can then compare and apply to our current world.

The film showed how powerful the media is and how it can be used for both personal

and political gain or downfall. One of the reporters, Edward Murrow, wanted to expose the truth

about McCarthy. It is the duty of a journalist to be transparent with your audience in order to

build trust.

There are several concepts in the movie that i can apply to journalism and the media today:

1. Media directly influences our decision making

We configure our preferences based on the media outlets we have access to or choose to follow. 

It is easy to make decisions based on what you are consuming every day. 

2. We need to figure out what media outlets are reliable or not. We shouldn’t just

stick with what makes us comfortable.

I can agree that it is crucial to deliver news to its catered audience, it is common for viewers to

let immediacy cloud accuracy when decide what news media to consume and believe.

3. Trust is essential

If a journalist can build trust with their audience, that audience will have less skepticism when

viewing their segment and become repeat and loyal viewers.

Out With the Old, In With the News: Should Openly Partisan Media Be a Thing of The Past?

 

After doing much research and reading the short stories in the partisan press, I can genuinely say that I believe that the old system, when news sources were openly partisan, was indeed a better way to do it. To force news sources to be bipartisan in my opinion is a way of limiting the writer/journalist’s freedom of speech and expression which is a first amendment right. As long as there is no slander or defamation involved I don't see why having openly partisan news sources would be an issue as everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

The issue with artisan sources or even partisan ideas is not avoiding being biased but avoiding being disrespectful of the onions of others who do not quite agree. There are many similarities between the old system of news and the online news experience. One major parallel is how politicians use reputable news sources who are on their side of politics to publicize themselves and give them a good image. The same thing is done today as it was then, it's just much easier with social media and news sources having many different ways of communicating with their viewers.

Objectivity or non bias in news delivery can be an important goal to some but it doesn't have to be. I believe that as long as both parties are respectful to one another and can coexist, objectivity is not a compulsory goal to have. While it's much appreciated in many ways, the bias that each party has for their own ideas, will be obvious in one way or another which makes objectivity extremely difficult as well. This is why I say that regardless of party or news network having mutual respect is all that is needed to succeed in news delivery.

Influential Female Reporters: Ida B. Wells

 

Ida B. Wells was know as an African-American journalist, editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist and civil rights leader.

Personal Life

• Ida B. Wells, oldest daughter of James and Lizzie Wells, was born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16th, 1862. 

• In 1895 Wells married Ferdinand Barnett and thereafter was known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett. 

• Ida and her husband had 4 children. Two sons and two daughters

• In 1931, at the age of 68, Ida B. Wells died of kidney disease

Achievements in Journalism

Ida B. Wells was one of the most prominent figures in the early civil rights movements in the 19th century. In 1882, she moved to Tennessee with her siblings. After witnessing the racism around her, Wells began to speak out against injustice through her writing. She primarily wrote about not only race, but politics in the South and published her stories in black newspapers. Later, Wells wrote for and co-owned the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. Ida Wells began her anti-lynching campaign in 1892. She spent months traveling through the South investigating lynchings, speaking to eye witnesses and collecting testimonies to expose the South and its racist roots. She ended up moving to New York due to attacks by whites. However, Ida continued to write for papers across the nation. She eventually published a pamphlet titled Southern Horrors: Lynch Law In All Its Phases in 1892. She gained support from Europe for her anti-lynching campaign and in 1898 she spoke to president McKinley about ending lynchings in South Carolina.

Paving the Way

Ida B. Wells shattered the glass ceiling for not only women of color but all women by being an outspoken woman which was no common in the 19th century. Due to Ida's work (ant those like her) women today are able to speak out against injustices through writing in the media. Journalists today should continue to commemorate the work of Ida B. Wells.

Honorable Mentions

• One of the founders of the NAACP

• Active in the Negro Women's Club Movement

• Pulitzer Special Citation Award in 2020

• Publishing A Red Record in 1895

• Founded the Alpha Suffrage Club

• Created the first kindergarten for the black community in Chicago

Sources:

“Ida B. Wells.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 6 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/activist/ida-b-wells.

Nettles, Arionne. “Ida B. Wells' Lasting Impact On Chicago Politics And Power.” NPR, NPR, 4 Nov. 2019, www.npr.org/local/309/2019/11/04/775915510/ida-b-wells-lasting-impact-on-chicago-politics-and-power.

Nwagbo, Nonso, et al. “Ida B. Wells Impact on Black History.” -, 3 Mar. 2021, www.tellersuntold.com/2021/02/05/ida-b-wells-impact-to-black-history/.

Influential journalists: Rachel Carson

Who Is Rachel Carson?: Early Life, Education and Career

Rachel Louise Carson was born on May 27th, 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Carson grew up on a family farm surrounded by animal and plants of all kinds which would soon prove to be a sign of her future, as she enjoyed studying them. Although she had a love for animals and landscapes of all kinds from an early age, Rachel's true wish was to one day be able to view the sea. Rachel Carson thoroughly enjoyed writing about nature and all of the wonderful things that came with it. She sent her writings to her favorite magazine, St. Nicholas. She sent in four articles which earned her the title of "Honor Member".

In 1925, Carson received a four-year scholarship to the Pennsylvania College for Women and in 1929, she graduated with a degree in zoology and went on the receive her master of arts degree from Johns Hopkins in 1932. Soon after, Rachel Carson decided she wanted to become a biologist and a writer, Rachel started studying the ocean and all of its wildlife.

Fame and Accomplishments

   In 1941 Carson wrote her first book entitled The Sea Around Us. In 1955 she wrote her second book The Edge of the Sea. Though these books were very important accomplishments for Rachel, her most important book was entitled Silent Spring. The book is about the insecticide DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and its harmful effects on the environment. DDT is a synthetic organic compound introduced in the 1940's and used as an insecticide. The buildup of this compound in the food chain raised alarm for human and animal health. This resulted in the banning of DDT in 1972.

    Rachel Carson's Book Silent Spring cause controversy amongst the chemical industry and worried Americans. Carson did like or expect the attention she had surrounding herself as she had to give interviews to overbearing reporters and had companies threatening to pursue legal action against her for "ruining" their business.

Personal Life

Rachel Carson was diagnosed with breast cancer and several heart conditions in 1957. She sadly died of her cancer in April 14th, 1964.

Without Rachel Carson's book and her extensive research, DDT would still be used in the United States and our ecosystems and environment would be even more at risk.

Sources:

Lear, Linda. “Rachel Carson, the Life and Legacy.” Rachel Carson, The Life and Legacy, http://www.rachelcarson.org/.

Marquette Law Review. Religion, Education and the Law - Core. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/148691863.pdf.