Blog #2: The Supreme Court

The highest court in the United States was established in 1789 by Article III of the Constitution. This court is known as the Supreme Court; it is also in charge of our government's judicial branch. The primary function of the Supreme Court is to use the Constitution to evaluate if laws are constitutional as well as being able to check the power of the other branches. The Supreme Court, otherwise known as SCOTUS, was originally supposed to be made up of six justices as per the Judiciary Act of 1789 which President Washington signed into action. These justices would serve life sentences. The number of justices has changed over the years but now stands at a consistent nine justices. When the court was first established, it did not actually review any cases. It was merely working out all of the logistical details so that it would be able to run smoothly in the future. The first case SCOTUS ever heard was called West v Barnes. It was not a very important case and the decision was made the day after they heard the case's arguments. 

A Supreme Court justice must be nominated by the standing president and then must go through a confirmation process in the Senate. Among the justices, SCOTUS also has a chief justice who has separate responsibilities like planning the weekly meetings, guiding the rest of the justices, and leading presidential impeachment trials. Three presidents in our country's history have been impeached. President Johnson, President Clinton, as well as President Trump were all absolved of their charges.

The Supreme Court has had a total of 115 justices. The current nine justices are Chief Justice Roberts as well as the associate justices Kagan, Breyer, Alito, Barrett, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Sotomayor. Probably the most notable justice was John Marshall. He was a chief justice and is known best for his ruling in Marbury v Madison giving the court power of judicial review. One interesting fact about the Supreme Court is that President Taft actually served as both a president and a chief justice. 

Overall, the Supreme Court has decided on many important rulings that have changed the course of our country over many years. These rulings have set precedents for other courts to follow and have had a large impact on where our country is today.

Blog #1: News Sources

Finding a good, credible news source can be extremely difficult, especially in our social media driven age. Honestly, most of the time our main way we get news is not from an extremely credible source. The key is to delve further into more credible sources when coming into reports. Sometimes I look further into these stories and other times I do not. It really just depends on how serious it is, how much it interests me, and how much time I have. 

*Family*

As previously mentioned in my first post, I am extremely close with my family. We all live in the same neighborhood and spend a lot of time together. Many of my family members are interested in politics and some of them try to do extensive research on issues when they have the time. There are several occasions where one of my family members will bring up a news story and we will discuss it together. It is interesting to get the various perspectives on different issues especially with the vast age gap between all members. I think that even though family may not be the most credible source in the world's eyes, they are a great stepping stone for further exposure on topics you may not be familiar with.

my family's 2019 Christmas picture

*Instagram*

Another main source of news that I use is Instagram. I enjoy looking through different types of accounts ranging anywhere from politicians to activists to even political meme accounts. Each type of account serves a different purpose for me. For example, the politician accounts allow for me to get a closer look into what is going on in Congress or in the other branches of government. The downfall is that the accounts do not always feel too genuine because they have to walk a fine line between discussing their opinions on issues and not isolating their potential audience. Activist accounts allow for me to get a more focused view on one specific topic that the particular account is most interested in. Even though political meme accounts are not necessarily reliable in the sense that they do not always relay accurate information at all times, I still think they are so interesting because you might stumble upon a meme discussing something you had never heard of but might end up caring about.

*Twitter*

Twitter has taken the world by storm especially in the last few years. It has become a platform that is able to connect prominent figures in our society with normal, everyday people. It is very easy to share content and find current news stories and headlines through the trending page. For those holding public office, they may even have a personal and work account. Having this personal accounts allows for these representatives to feel much more authentic and relatable. My favorite part about this platform is that I am exposed to both political news, current world events, and discover what's new in the world of pop culture all at the same time. You do have to be careful, especially with the amount of troll accounts, but if you look hard enough, you can find some helpful information. 

*YouTube*

YouTube is not necessarily a place where I get most of my current event news. My favorite thing to learn more about here is pop culture news. I like to follow accounts that are dedicated to celebrity drama. I know it's not necessarily the most credible sources, but I do find it very entertaining. Many of these accounts discuss lesser known celebrities and icons, especially those whose main platforms and places of income are YouTube, Tik Tok, and other social media accounts. These drama channels expose shady dealings and hypocrisy as well as help to keep these social media stars accountable for their actions and words. 

*TV*

The most typical way I learn about current events is through tv. I do my best to listen to as many platforms as possible. I truly don't think that there are many, if any, news sources that are unbiased. Everyone has their own personal opinions, so it's not absurd to believe that those opinions may have an influence on what is portrayed on tv. When major events have happened, whether in our country alone or the whole world, I like to flip through various tv programs to see how the event is being portrayed. In order to truly see the change, I like to do this with both controversial political events as well as events that have nothing to do with the political world. 

All About Me

 Hey everyone, my name is Meagan Gutheil. I'm from Greensboro, North Carolina and I am a sophomore at High Point University. I really travelled far to go to school. I am majoring in strategic communication and minoring in public and professional writing. In my studies, I enjoy taking classes that challenge my thought processes as well as allow me to see things from different perspectives. After I complete my bachelor's degree, I will be continuing my education with a master's degree from High Point University in Business Leadership and Communication. I hope to continue to narrow down my exact career path throughout the course of the next few years. Ideally, I would love to continue to live in North Carolina for the rest of my life.

As a student here at High Point University, I am involved all throughout campus. I am a Resident Assistant for the Belk/Blessing community, a member of Phi Mu as well as the current Parent and Alumnae Chair, a member of Chaarg, an all girls fitness organization, and a Presidential Scholar. In my free time I like to sleep and watch movies. I am a huge family person and actually live in the same neighborhood as all of my cousins and Nana.

My favorite class I have taken in my college career so far is Russian Literature. I have to admit, the course seemed very daunting at first and it was not an easy class by any means, but I found it more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I have not always been the most vocal or expressive student in a classroom, so participation in discuss can be difficult for me, but this class allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone and share my opinions on the various Russian novels we read. I hope to continue to progress like this in all of the rest of my classes in the future. 

my wonderful Nana and me at Christmas brunch