LSTD 510 1-1 DISCUSSION: INTRODUCTION

Let’s Start LSTD 510 1-1 Discussion

The first assignment is designed to assist you in familiarizing yourself with the U.S. Supreme Court, introduce yourself to your peers, and provide you with a means to articulate your learning goals for the class, to use the Supreme Court’s official website better to understand what it works and what its traditions and societal role are. This assignment guides critical thinking and analysis over how the Supreme Court  can affect the issue of law and society.

1. Introduce yourself and tell us about your background

• Start by providing LSTD 510 1-1 Discussion: Give yourself a brief background. Tell your academic and professional journey and not forgetting to mention experience or interest in legal studies.

I am excited to be in this amazing course. I have always been interested in legal studies and an excellent understanding of what role the judicial systems play is the impact that the judicial systems have on the social norms and legal reforms. I look into the future with desire to go deeper in academic study, but save the practical view that is the product of my career in law.

2. Articulate your individual student learning goals and/or expectations for this class.

• LSTD 510 1-1 Discussion: Introduction Provide a concise statement of your learning objectives and what you expect to be able to do as a result of this course. This could be enhancing specific skills or achieving greater knowledge in specific areas.

My main objective for this class is to strengthen my critical thinking about judicial decision-making and its repercussions on public policy. I want to achieve a more subtle understanding of the role the Supreme Court plays in creating the legal environment of the US. Furthermore, I can develop my capacity for evaluating complex intellectual arguments on the legal terrain and express these intellectual analyses explicitly.

3. Explore the U.S. Supreme Court website, and in particular, examine these sections: Supreme Court at Work History and Traditions.The Supreme Court Building Supreme Court Filing Rules.

• Select specified sections of the Supreme Court’s website for you to browse. Exciting facts and significant information to take notes of.
• Sections to Explore:
• Supreme Court at Work
• History and Traditions
• The Supreme Court Building
• Supreme Court Filing Rules

Note at least two points of significance that you found surprising and/or interesting. (The goal here is to learn more about the Court before we examine the Court’s analysis of cases.)  

• Write down at least two points that surprised you or that you found particularly interesting. Explain what made LSTD 510 1-1 Discussion Introduction These points stand out and give details.

I learned the most about the “History and Traditions” sections on the U.S. Supreme Court’s website and “The Supreme Court Building.” I was surprised to read about the ‘Justices’ Conference,’ during which decisions are made without aides and where the tradition of the solemnity and confidentiality of their deliberations is stressed (History and Traditions, n.d.). The Supreme Court Building is equally intrigued by its architectural symbolism, which is intended to represent the ideals of justice and integrity and as a constant reminder of the seriousness and independence of the judicial exercise (The Supreme Court Building, n.d.).

How do you think that this new-to-you information might help you to think critically about the Supreme Court’s role in facilitating solutions to complex societal legal problems? 

• Think about how your understanding of the information you have just learned might affect your opinion of the Supreme Court’s role in dealing with the current legal problems of society. The new knowledge should be discussed into how it can help with critical thinking and analysis. 

One thing this knowledge does is that it gives me an appreciation for the Supreme Court as an institution and as the custodian of the traditions and principles which are the safeguards of its role as a mechanism to resolve difficult legal questions. This insight leads to a firmer belief that understanding how laws are interpreted by the judiciary, which has long served to clarify laws in light of long standing historical situations, is an important task. It is important to analyse its decisions, and their wider societal ramifications critically.

CLOSING

References

History and Traditions. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/historyandtraditions.aspx

The Supreme Court Building—Supreme Court of the United States. (n.d.). https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx

PEER RESPONSES

The LSTD 510 course’s discussion posts involve responding to peers. This guide will teach you how to create effective and constructive peer responses that encourage actual participation and helpful advice. You are expected to answer at least three classmates, provide constructive feedback, suggest strategies and justify your recommendations with reason.

Be sure to respond to three classmates!

• First, you acknowledge your peer’s points and give positive feedback. Pick out specific items that you found exciting or informative in their post.
• Offer actionable suggestions on what your only peer can do to level their decision-making processes going forward. Work with their examples or describe the challenges they encountered.
• Give reasons and insights behind your suggestions. The aim is to explain how the mentioned strategies can lessen the risks and enhance the results.

Response 1

It was fascinating to read about your background in environmental law and how that interests you in the regulatory aspects of Supreme Court decisions. It is a great observation about the key place the Court takes in environmental legislation, with landmark cases. Specifically, it reflects the fine line the judiciary walks between legal instruments and ecological protection. You point about how such decisions mold environmental policy does an important service by putting part of the Court’s diverse impact into perspective.

Response 2

Your emphasis on the historical evolution of the Supreme Court as an institution and on the decision-making process of the Court as an institution makes for compelling reading. I liked how you associated the architectural plan of the Supreme Court Building with its symbolism for the presentation of justice. It took this self-reflection to realize how significant every element of the Court is to the public perception of the Court and the judiciary’s sense of what the Court is and what makes it unique. Indeed, This approach will contribute to our analysis of judicial decisions.

Response 3

I share that interest because you are interested in justices’ biographical backgrounds and how that shapes their case perspectives. The “History and Traditions” section demystifies the personal and professional paths that make for their jurisprudence by providing valuable context. This will be great to have and contribute to our conversations around how the jurisprudential philosophies of individual justices play into their rulings – especially as a way of understanding some of the subjective elements that can factor into otherwise ‘objective’ legal interpretations. The human elements of the legal system remind you that you have an approach.