Denise Newton
Am Govt Mon, Wed
Mrs. Preston
04/15/12
What Justice Breyer meant by the statement “people need to understand the importance
of the Court as an institution, even though the Court’s decisions may at times be unpopular and
possibly wrong,” is we must respect the court as an institution. When the court makes a decision, whether right or wrong, we as Americans need to respect it that decision. Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas is an example of how judicial review was not respected for a very long time. If there was no judicial review there would be no “checks and balances”. We need to remember the principle of these “checks and balances” because without them our democracy would not survive. These exist to ensure that no one branch of government does not become too powerful. Checks and balances, a principle first established by the founding fathers, continues support and safeguard our strong national government which provides citizens security and aid in times of crisis, such as the events of September 11th, 2001.
A bill of rights is a list of rights and freedoms guaranteed to all people in the country. When a bill of rights becomes part of a country's constitution, the courts have the power to enforce these rights. A bill of rights limits the power of government and may also impose duties on individuals and organizations. Many democratic countries also choose to have a bill of rights to protect people against abuse of power. The Anti-Federalists felt as though the proposed constitution was not enough and demanded the addition of a bill of rights. They felt that individual rights needed to be protected. They were strong advocates of States’ Rights who believed that self-government, independence, and individual liberty were best protected at the local level. The passage of the 14th amendment created a formal framework for extending certain aspects of the Bill of rights to apply to the states. The selective incorporation...