History of the United States' Supreme Court

From the time that we as students in the United States of America are in elementary school, we're taught about the three branches of government.  I remember drawing a tree in my 3rd grade class that depicted each "branch" of government, and what it was responsible for.  While the responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches aren't to be understated, the judicial branch holds a special obligation.  They protect our rights when the other two branches infringe upon them.  This all starts with the Supreme Court, something I learned more about from this story by the History Channel.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-resume-oral-argument-telephone-next-month-n1240241

The Supreme Court of the United States has been one of the cornerstones of our country's government since it was conceived, and it continues to become more and more important to our lives as time goes on.  The story by the History Channel, linked previously, taught me things about the Supreme Court that I had no idea about before.  For example, the Judiciary Act of 1789 was news to me.  It was signed by George Washington, and it put the policy of justices (there were six at the time) serving until death or retirement into practice.

Another thing that I didn't know about before reading this story, and while a random fact is probably the most interesting tidbit featured in this article, is about the scheduled first assembly of the Supreme Court.  The first meeting was supposed to be on the 1st of February, in 1790.  However, due to transportation issues on the part of some of the justices', the meeting had to be postponed to the next day.

The most important takeaway I have from this story is that the Supreme Court has "transitioned from being the protector of property rights to the protector of civil liberties."  This is a huge takeaway, because it signals that the importance of human rights has become more and more prevalent in the eyes of our government as time has gone on.

This article made me think of the Supreme Court as more of a thing that is alive, rather than a structure that is made of stone.  The Supreme Court has changed over the course of history to better serve the citizens it has jurisdiction over, making it almost sentient.