My New Understanding of The Supreme Court

    Prior to reading the History.com article on the Supreme Court, I honestly knew very little about The Supreme Court and what role the Justices played in our government. I understand that the Supreme Court is the Judicial branch of the US Government, but my understanding of what power that gave them was almost nonexistent.

    After reading the article, I now understand that the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction over all laws that the United States has, and is solely responsible for determining if those laws are constitutional or not. These decisions are made by the nine Justices that make up the Supreme Court. These Justices have the right to their position for the rest of their lives or until they decide that they no longer want to work. If a Justice were to die or retire, the US President would nominate a new one and the Senate would have to approve of it. The highest position in the Supreme Court is the Chief Justice. They are tasked with setting the agenda for the Supreme Court, presides over the Supreme Court, and if presides over Impeachment trials if they are on the table.

    I believe the most important take-away from this History.com article is that the Supreme Court Justices do not have a term limit. This is also the most surprising thing about the Supreme Court as well. I understand and support why the President has the ability to nominate a Justice if it is required during their term. This allows the President to put somebody in the Supreme Court that will make decisions that would most likely align with those of their own. Even after the term of the President ends, their impact could still be carried forward through the decisions that the Justice makes in the future.

    While I like this aspect of the Supreme Court, it also confuses me and raises some caution. What if the Justices choose to abuse their power? Without a term limit, how could we remove one or more of them from power? What if the Supreme Court's nine members are all from one political party? Are there any rules against who can be in the Supreme Court?

    After watching the video I am more aware of what the Supreme Court actually does. It helped to define the role of the Justices and how they help to govern the United States. They help to provide the American people with a fair and just ruling on court cases based on what our Constitution says. They are in charge of applying what our Constitution says about the way that we can live in the United States based on what rights we are given as citizens.

My Top 5 News Sources

A majority of the news that I pay attention to relates to the world of sports, current events, street fashion, and music. 

1. National Hockey League (NHL) App

    Since I was three years old I have been playing the most fluid and barbaric sport humanity has to offer. Ice Hockey is played on an 1/8 of an inch of a steel that is strapped to the bottom of your feet. It allows you to cut and dig into the ice beneath you to change direction and pick up momentum. While you are trying to create space for your team to advance the puck into the offensive zone, five defenders attempt to steal the puck using any force that they can.

    Even after my opportunity to attempt to become a professional hockey player passed, my obsession and appreciation for the sport remained. The National Hockey League is the highest level of hockey in the world. Professionals from Canada, the US, and all over Europe relocate to North America to pursue their dreams of playing for one of the 32 NHL teams. The NHL app that I have on my phone gives me daily updates on my favorite teams, major trades around the league, and reminders for crucial games that will be played on the upcoming schedule. This app allows me to check the scores from every game, see each teams standings, and view the intense race to the playoffs. 

2. XXL Magazine

    XXL Magazine is an extremely popular source of news and promotion for Hip-Hop and Rap fans and artists all over the globe. A major event that this site has every year is their "XXL Freshman Freestyle." Fans and experts in the industry vote on 10-15 of the breakout artists that have the most potential to succeed in Hip-Hop. Their musical talents are tested in the XXL Freestyle Cypher where they are grouped with other Freshmen and prompted to freestyle a verse, chorus, or hook together on the spot. Being a XXL Freshman is a major accolade and respect from some people in the industry is gained, but their expectations grow to a new height. 

    This magazine publishes stories about individual artists across the industry to talk about the impact that they have made on younger generations, upcoming artists, and even artists who are considered to be the OG's. XXL also promotes upcoming albums, mixtapes, and singles from a variety of Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B artists. This is my favorite source for news within the Hip-Hop industry, and the daily updates that I receive alert me to new music from my most listened to artists.

3. The New York Times

    The New York Times is a website/application that I visit less frequently than my other sources of news, but still a very important one to me. I typically focus on the things that bring me the most joy which are sports, music, and fashion. The New York Times has plenty of feel good, motivational stories, but whenever I visit the site, most headlining pieces are about politics, COVID-19, and acts of violence. While it is important to stay updated and not ignore the negativity that these stories make me feel, I chose not to occupy my mind with things that upset me.

    The New York Times is a left leaning newspaper, but I feel that they do an adequate job with listening to both sides in our current polarized climate. This is a very valuable characteristic for a major newspaper to have. Today, too many people are writing pieces to get a reaction. They don't care who thinks they are right and who thinks they are wrong, but as long as their piece is being talked about they are bringing their company views and money. If a journalist is able to do this, they are securing their job and paycheck. The New York Times strives to support their statements. They acknowledge a variety of perspectives, even if the journalist disagrees with the people they are interviewing or writing about.

4. Twitter

    When I made the effort to reduce the amount of time that I wasted on social media, I could not part ways with Twitter. I was able to remove Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook from my daily life which enabled me to focus on work, my education, and my future career. But Twitter... I couldn't give up Twitter. If I need a laugh, want to find a heart warming video, want to see what my favorite musicians or celebrities are saying, Twitter is the place to go. Even though I had very little social media, checking twitter once a day was enough to stay up to date with new trends and major news across the world. 

    While there are hundreds of thousands of accounts that spread faulty information, the number of comedic personalities that you can find make it worth it. I always take news that I find on Twitter with a grain of salt unless it comes from a verified account, but even then I am a bit skeptical. I rarely tweet because my main use for this app is to see random, yet important, content. 

5. Instagram

    Instagram is the most used social media app on a daily basis in the United States. This app allows you to post pictures, videos, stories, and even surveys on your account. You can create groups in direct messages or just shoot a quick reply to a friends story. The main purpose of this app for me is to see upcoming releases in the streetwear scene as well as new music that will be released by my favorite artists. Aside from keeping up with my friends who live all over the world, I follow the official verified accounts of my favorite musicians and my favorite clothing brands. Their posts show me what new designs they are releasing, update me if an artist is in the studio creating music, when they will release this material, and even introduce me to other brands and artists like their own. 

    Like Twitter, not all news that I see on Instagram I can accept as the truth. There are plenty of people who create fake accounts, try to sell off-brand clothing, and even create rumors about release dates for music that will never bless a fanbase's ears. But the beauty of Instagram is it's ability to personalize. By following the official accounts of my favorite brands and artists, I can hear directly from them when they will be releasing new material. Their snippets of music or pictures of an upcoming clothing line boost my excitement and get me to prepare my credit card. It is not always my best reaction to new things... but it does bring me enjoyment and keep me on my toes.