Supreme Court: Gideon's Trumpet

            The most powerful court-system in the United States, the Supreme Court has the hardest and most complicated job. The justices have the great burden of having to interpret the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. Obviously this is no easy feat. Most interpretations are based on personal views and beliefs. Politicians love to twist words and meanings to their own advantage. That is why the Supreme Court has to be unbiased in their decisions. Since it is impossible for one judge to remain neutral, nine justices are always appointed. In hopes to reach a better understanding of the role of the Supreme Court, the procedures and methods the Court follows must be examined. .
             Many different issues are sent to the Supreme Court every year. One limitation the Court has is that they cannot address any type of issue that they wish to (Lewis). However, before the Court can even consider an issue, jurisdiction must be established based on Article III of the Constitution. After jurisdiction is in place, the petitioner to the court must show in some way that he/she was the one that suffered the injury or infraction (www.gsu.edu). Now to even get the Court to give you a hearing, you must petition them with a writ of certiorari (www.gsu.edu). If the Court grants you this, congratulations they will allow you a hearing to see what it is you have to say. Most cases petitioned to the Supreme Court are done with a writ of certiorari (www.gsu.edu). Very few issues make it this far.
             In preparation for the hearing, each side must present a brief of their argument to the clerk. Once the clerk has both briefs, they are then distributed amongst the justices. In most cases, the justices will let the clerks summarize the issues pertaining to the case. This can create a problem as the clerks can slightly alter the issues being brought forth. Sometimes it can happen unintentionally. That is why some justices read the briefs themselves.