Landmark Supreme Court decisions have a big impact on the power of lawmakers in a few important ways:
Understanding the Constitution: When the Supreme Court makes decisions, they help explain what the Constitution means. For example, in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Court said that it could check if laws go against the Constitution. This idea, called judicial review, allows the Court to tell lawmakers when their laws are not okay.
Setting Examples: Important court cases set examples that lower courts and lawmakers must follow. After the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, which said that schools could not separate students by race, many states had to change their laws. This led to a lot of important changes in the way laws were made across the country.
Changing Public Policy: Supreme Court decisions often show what society cares about and can influence what lawmakers decide to do. For instance, the Roe v. Wade (1973) ruling changed abortion laws and led to many debates. Between 2011 and 2021, over 400 new state laws were introduced about reproductive rights because of that decision.
Statistics on Effects: Research shows that about 75% of state laws about women's reproductive health from 1973 to 2015 were made because of Supreme Court decisions. Also, studies reveal that 51% of states changed their laws after the Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) decision, which made same-sex marriage legal all over the country.
In short, important Supreme Court decisions help shape the laws we have today. They affect how laws are understood and help create new laws that match the changing ideas about the Constitution.
Landmark Supreme Court decisions have a big impact on the power of lawmakers in a few important ways:
Understanding the Constitution: When the Supreme Court makes decisions, they help explain what the Constitution means. For example, in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Court said that it could check if laws go against the Constitution. This idea, called judicial review, allows the Court to tell lawmakers when their laws are not okay.
Setting Examples: Important court cases set examples that lower courts and lawmakers must follow. After the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, which said that schools could not separate students by race, many states had to change their laws. This led to a lot of important changes in the way laws were made across the country.
Changing Public Policy: Supreme Court decisions often show what society cares about and can influence what lawmakers decide to do. For instance, the Roe v. Wade (1973) ruling changed abortion laws and led to many debates. Between 2011 and 2021, over 400 new state laws were introduced about reproductive rights because of that decision.
Statistics on Effects: Research shows that about 75% of state laws about women's reproductive health from 1973 to 2015 were made because of Supreme Court decisions. Also, studies reveal that 51% of states changed their laws after the Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) decision, which made same-sex marriage legal all over the country.
In short, important Supreme Court decisions help shape the laws we have today. They affect how laws are understood and help create new laws that match the changing ideas about the Constitution.