How the supreme court helped to shape america's history

The U. S. Supreme Court made decisions in the past that shaped the American history. For example, the Supreme Court ended racial segregation and protected children by enforcing child labor laws. Given its importance in the country, the Supreme Court is discretionary hence it does not handle any case. Unlike the other courts, the US Supreme Court can choose the most controversial cases that may affect the country as a whole.

For a case to qualify for the Supreme Court, it must involve the federal law as opposed to an issue of state law. The lower courts handle cases related to the civil law. The case involving Jenna was a civil one since it required compensation for personal injury. After the decision of the state appellate court, Jenna cannot appeal to the Supreme Court because the case is not unique as it involves compensation for the personal injury, which the lower courts can handle. Besides, the case does not have far-reaching consequences for the whole country. The Supreme Court considers issues that affect the country as opposed to an individual. In this case, Jenna was seeking personal compensation of $25, 000 for an accident. Hence, her case can be sufficiently handled by the lower courts.

The judges consider cases that need to be clearly resolved. Often, such cases involve resolving some inconsistency in the various jurisdictions. In the case involving Jenna, the lower courts overruled her case on without violating the law. In addition, Jenna’s case could not result in a precedence, and it was not unusual for the Supreme Court to handle it. Considering a large number of requests to the Supreme Court, Jenna’s appeal cannot qualify; hence, she cannot appeal to the Court. Therefore, Jenna cannot appeal to the Supreme Court because her case does not meet the set criteria.

The Supreme Court receives more than 7000 requests but selects 100-150 cases in a year and sets the time to hear them (United States Courts, n. d.). However, there are situations where the court can listen to a case immediately. Firstly, when the case is of much importance to the country. For example, the Bush v. Gore concerning the 2000 presidential election needed immediate attention. The case touched on an important national matter; thus, it was an urgent case in the Supreme Court. Similarly, the Roe v. Wade case touched on abortion, which was an important social issue (McBride, 2006). In such high profile cases, the Supreme Court grants an immediate hearing.

Secondly, a conflict of interest may arise where several courts arrive at different verdicts concerning a constitutional or federal law. Such an issue requires immediate intervention of the Supreme Court to resolve the conflict. The Supreme Court steps in to address the issue so that all the parts of the country operate under the same law. Otherwise, delaying such a matter could cause a crisis as different states follow different jurisdictions.

Thirdly, a lower court may disregard a past decision made by the Supreme Court. Since the Supreme Court is final, the lower courts must uphold the decisions of the Court. However, a court may rule incorrectly and contradict past Supreme Court rulings. The Supreme Court needs to step in immediately and correct the lower court or even overrule the decision altogether. Therefore, the Supreme Court must look at the urgency of a case as well as its national importance and act on it immediately.