The Power and Poetry of the Law

 

As our class has spent the past few weeks studying the Founding Era of America, it’s been particularly fascinating to understand the Judicial system of America and how the Supreme Court serves the country. Specifically, a brief documentaryon the proceedings of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

At one point in the video, Justices Kennedy, Scalia, Stevens, and Ginsburg discussed the nature of the Constitution and it’s fundamental implications on their decisions. Particularly, a difference of opinion emerged as the Kennedy, Scalia, and Stevens remarked on the unchanging nature of the 200-year-old Constitution, while Ginsburg disagreed. Citing amendments such as the 19^th, which gave women the right to vote, Ginsburg challenged the notion that the Constitution was unchanging. As she put it, “We the people was composed of a very small part of the people.” The constitution by which we live now is one born out of the Suffrage movement and the Civil-Rights Era. 

The beauty of law and the Constitution is the simultaneous absoluteness of such a long-standing document, as well as the ability to interpret it and amend it. As Ginsburg was arguing, we should take pride in the fact that while our Constitution has secured the prosperity of the United States, we’ve also been able to adapt it to our evolving society. 

The Constitution is a living, breathing document—that much is proved by the Supreme Court, which receives thousands upon thousands of petitions. It’s proved by the people who ardently and passionately advocate for what they believe to be right in accordance with the constitution. And it’s a steadying guide when the going gets tough and the answers are unclear. 

It’s a document of the people, for the people, upheld by the people