The Role of the Supreme Court in the American Political System

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The Supreme Court has not always played the significant role in American politics that it does today. In fact, the first year of the Court’s existence was almost entirely inconsequential. Its only significant action after convening was to adjourn. The Court did not even have its own home until the late 1800s. Prior to that date, the Supreme Court had met in the basement of the Capitol, a none too subtle indication of the Court’s prestige and importance during the early years of the republic.

Although it has not always been as significant and powerful as it is today, the Court has always played an indispensable role as the nation’s “court of last appeal.” With the establishment of the Supreme Court, the Framers provided a means by which legal and constitutional disputes could have an end. When the Supreme Court rules on a dispute or case, its decision is final. There is no higher court to which a decision can be appealed.