Supreme is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as "highest in rank or authority" and "highest in degree." This is important because to the ignorant youth of America, the Supreme Court would naturally be a fitting name for the body that was deemed the highest court in all the land. Those who are versed in the history of the American Supreme Court know that it wasn't always, quite frankly, that supreme.
Enough time has past where now the birth of our great nation has been subjected to the propaganda of many generations, but it must be understood. America did not immediately sprout out of the ground as the worlds most dominant superpower. For the first couple decades of America's existence, the road to liberty was rocky, tumultuous, and difficult. The founding fathers knew that the process of nation building would be a process that requires the most delicate of care in order to avoid the mistakes of previous empires, so the lynchpin in their ideas was the Supreme Court.
It's important to note the prestige now associated with the Supreme Court wasn't always the case. I've known there has been only 45 different presidents (Grover Cleveland is both the 22nd and 24th president), but I was surprised to learn there have only been 112 Supreme Court Justices. The Supreme Court got its start with seemingly irrelevant cases, but once judicial review was introduced, the momentum began to build.
As years went by, the list of notable cases to pass through the Supreme Court grew, and with it the legacy and respect of the court continued to swell. One of the Court's most notable success stories of the Court was former President Taft. President Taft was notorious for how much he hated being President, and his immense weight gain was a direct result of the stresses of the job. It took the Court to save his life, as following his miserable tenure in the presidency he served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This story is one of the most poetic in American politics, a true microcosm of reality; a former President has his life saved by the Supreme Court, apropos as the presidency itself would die without the Supreme Court.
Following the overturn of Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court has re-entered the public space as the topic of hot conversation. Regardless of how one feels on the specific issue, it should be universally disappointing to see such disparaging and vitriolic words being thrown at a body that once commanded such great respect. To these people who decry the actions of the Supreme Court and their critical role in our democracy, I say this; remember that respect is not freely given, but it is earned. Many of America's greatest moral achievements have been in the hallowed walls of this Court. This respect was not inherent to the court's title of "Supreme"; it was earned over the lifespan of our great nation.
For the vast majority of Americans in Generation Z, the Supreme Court is archaic creation from a bygone era. It's important to the history of our nation to understand the past behind the highest court in our land. It had to fight and claw to gain respect over generations, just like the story of many of the millions of immigrants who come to America each year.
The Supreme Court didn't do their way, they did it the American way.
https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supreme
https://supremecourthistory.org/chief-justices/william-howard-taft-1921-1930/
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