The Supreme Court Reflection

 

The Power of Trust: My Takeaways on the Supreme Court

Before watching these videos, I thought of the Supreme Court as a distant institution that only appeared in the news when a major decision was announced.

 What surprised me most was learning how much discussion, debate, and tradition goes into every decision long before the public hears about it.

One fact that really stood out to me was that there have only been a little over 100 Supreme Court justices in American history.

Supreme Court Justices 2026

When one justice compared being appointed to the Court to being struck by lightning, it made me realize how rare that opportunity is. 

There are only nine justices at a time, yet their decisions can affect millions of people.

I was also shocked to learn that it can take a justice around three years just to adjust to the workload. From the outside, it is easy to assume that the justices immediately know how to handle everything, but the videos showed that even they need time to grow into the role.

Another thing I did not know was how many cases reach the Court every year.

 Learning that roughly 7,000 cases arrive annually made me appreciate how selective the process is and how much responsibility comes with deciding which cases deserve the Court's attention.

What changed my perspective the most was seeing how the justices interact with one another. 

The tradition of shaking hands before every conference meeting surprised me. 

The Constitution

In a country where disagreement often leads to division, that simple act shows that respect can exist even when people have different opinions.

As a journalism student, I found the oral argument process especially interesting. Lawyers have only 30 minutes to present their case, and the justices use that time to ask difficult questions. 

It reminded me that behind every legal issue are real people and real consequences.

My biggest takeaway is that the Court's power does not come from force.

 It comes from trust.

 After watching these videos, I no longer see the Supreme Court as just a group of judges interpreting a 200-year-old document. 

I see it as an institution that depends on public confidence, thoughtful debate, and the responsibility of the people who serve on it.

My Top 5 News Sources

 

My Top 5 News Sources (And why They're Not Exactly Award Winning)

My top five news sources are in no way fancy, and they're probably not the most accurate lineup you'll ever see. 

But these apps and shows are how I first find out about things, and from there, I start doing my own research. 

Fox News Logo

1. Fox News

My first news source, hands down, was Fox News. It's the only channel my family ever had playing in the house growing up, so naturally, it's where I learned to "go" for news. 

As I got older, though, I started noticing how biased it could be, and that realization pushed me to look elsewhere for a more balanced perspective.

YouTube Logo

2. YouTube

That search for balance led me to YouTube.

 I began following creators who seemed more neutral and who posted videos breaking down specific topics. 

What I liked about this shift was that it gave me room to actually sit with an issue and figure out my own opinion, instead of having one handed to me.

Instagram Logo

3. Instagram 

My third source is one I'll admit is a little more accidental: Instagram. 

Headlines pop up on my feed, and if one catches my eye, that's usually my cue to go dig deeper. 

It's less of a "news source" in the traditional sense and more of a trigger, something that tells me, "Hey, you should probably look into this."

4. Google

Google Logo

Which brings me to source number four: Google. 

Once something catches my attention, Google is where I go to actually research it. I like it because it doesn't hand me one narrative. 

It gives me access to all kinds of different sources, so I can compare perspectives and get a fuller picture instead of relying on a single outlet.

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5. TikTok

And finally, source five: TikTok.

 I'll be the first to say it's not the most reliable place to get your news. 

But it spreads topics fast, and because so many different people are weighing in with their own takes, you end up seeing a wide range of opinions and outlooks on the same situation, sometimes more than any single "legitimate" outlet would show you.

None of these five sources is something I'd call "the news" on its own.

 They're more like starting points. 

Fox News gave me a baseline, and later, a reason to question that baseline.

 YouTube taught me to slow down and form my own opinions. 

Instagram and TikTok act like alarm bells, letting me know what people are talking about right now. 

And Google is where the actual digging happens.

I think that's probably true for a lot of people my age. 

We don't get our news from one trusted anchor desk anymore. 

We piece it together from a handful of imperfect sources, cross-check when something feels off, and try to land somewhere close to the truth. 

It's messier than how my parents got their news, but in some ways, it forces me to think more critically about what I'm actually reading.