A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court - Assignment Example

First, they are influenced by the executive branch of the government. Even though major decisions are made by the Supreme Court, their implementations are often influenced by the president who has direct authority over their implementation. For instance, the United States v. Nixon (1974) outcome was influenced by then President Richard Nixon who authoritatively and defiantly interfered with the investigation process regarding the controversies surrounding the Democratic Party (Greenburg 58). Besides, the implementation of court policies is influenced by Congress.

A supreme organ, Congress has a lot of say on exactly how judicial policies can be implemented in the country. However, this might at times go against the interpretation of the lower courts (Abraham 397). Lastly, the implementation of court decisions is influenced by the discretion of the lower courts. Since it is the Supreme Court that makes decisions, makes interpretations are always left to the lower courts. This does not effectively work because most of the decisions are vague and might not be properly interpreted by the judges of the lower courts.

According to the US constitution, the judiciary should be an independent institution. Meaning, it is free to discharge its duties without unnecessary influence from any person or organ of the government (Beard 71). However, there are several occasions in which the judiciary has suffered retaliatory attacks from the Congress and president. For instance, in 1937, February, President Roosevelt Franklin retaliated against the Supreme Court against t over its decisions regarding New Deal legislation. It was a very controversial attack that shaped the political and judicial climate of the country.