The Supreme What?

 Ahhhh The Supreme Court. Definitely not the favorite branch of government in today's standards by any means given its been plagued with controversy after controversy since the early 1990's. The court took a steep drop off in popularity amongst the American people last summer when it overturned Roe v. Wade causing nationwide protests and calls for its abolishment. So what is the Supreme Court? The Supreme Court of the United States (also known as SCOTUS) is the highest federal court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of government. It was established by the U.S. Constitution and has the ultimate jurisdiction over all laws within the United States and is responsible for evaluating the constitutionality of those laws. The court is made up of 9 justices, but it hasn't always been like that. When the court was first established in 1790, there were a total of 6 justices. Not really an ideal number if we are considering split decisions, but it is definitely something that is not really touched on in history classes. It was a surprise to me. The most important job of the Supreme Court is its power and role of judicial review. Judicial Review  is the power of the U.S. Supreme Court to review laws from Congress, the President, or the states to determine whether they are constitutional or not. This is part of the checks and balances that the three branches of the federal government use in order to limit each other and ensure a balance of power. The most surprising thing that I recently learned about the Supreme court was actually the first case that it ever handed a verdict down on. West v. Barnes was a unremarkable case that settled a family financial dispute. And that's it. Not so crazy considering it was the first case in Supreme Court history. Other fascinating news that I have learned about the Supreme court recently was shown in a class video. The video highlighted the process of how justices choose each case that will heard by the supreme court and what is interesting is the sheer amount of cases that pass through each justices office every week, and the fact that they virtually have no help.  Justice Brandeis famously said "We do our own work" when speaking of the amount of pressure and work put on each individual at any given time when deciding court cases.

Privacy on the Web and Offline

 In a digitized world, it seems like no information is considered private. It is easier now than ever to find the most personal details about someone including their life history, job and financials, relationship status and hobbies all in a click of a button. Access to this information is everywhere but in most cases, people give up this type of information unknowingly. Within the last 20 years, there has been a multiplicity of social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat etc. that have grown with the World Wide Web and utterly dominate generations. The most fascinating and horrifying aspect of these Business Giants is not only how easy consent is given through the "I agree to these Terms and Conditions" button but also how easy it is to leave a digital footprint. A digital footprint is known as information about a particular person that exists as a result of their online activity. As a result, we are consenting to our information being out in the view of the public eye forever. Once the information is out there, it cannot be deleted. 

How does this affect me? My family or my friends? 

Most people ask questions of how does internet privacy affect them or their loved ones. And the answer is, in more ways than you know. If you have any activity of the internet, whether it be in forms of social media accounts, online orders, or simply accessing the internet, you have already left a digital footprint. It is important that we educate ourselves on the dangers of leaving digital footprints as the consequences could be detrimental to our education, careers, reputation and even loved ones. 

What is the government doing about these issues? 

Unfortunately the government cannot legislate private actors and big corporations. Because of the nature of private business', without government involvement a constitutional claim cannot be made. This means that private corporations, like facebook, have complete and total ownership of everything you post on its platform and even can censor people it they so choose because of the contract of adhesion, or a one party negotiating contract. 1st amendment rights do not extend in private business' but this does not mean you cannot exercise them, it only means that the corporations set the rules. The government however can interfere in terms of cyber security which includes CyberBullying, meaning comments can turn criminal in some US states. 

What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?

Identity theft is not a joke, and now it is easier than ever to accidentally reveal private information about yourself on the internet that will be there forever. However there are simple ways  to protect your private information while browsing the internet. Ranging from not falling for scams and being careful of how you share private information online to securing your browser and password protecting your online accounts, there are certainly ways to protect your privacy online. 

My 5 Favorite News Sources

In Today's climate, good news is hard to come by. Media sources are flooded with partisanship and extreme bias making everyone scream their favorite "F" word: Fake News. News outlets like Fox News, which was rated the most biased news station, continue to polarize the country and politically divide the population. With this social turmoil, it is impossible to reach a consensus between the two major parties and thus legislation remains stagnant. So how do we fix polarization and political division caused by Media outlets? Well, it's a tough question to answer. Without the government infringing on the freedom of the press, we are left with one viable answer. Education. As a society, we must educate ourselves on the criteria for picking unbiased news sources and steer clear of the biased ones.  It is important to pick news sources that are relatively unbiased that focus on the facts rather than the fiction or speculation. When we focus on the fiction or personal speculation we tend to lose track of what is really true, and that is when we get to say the "F" word. Now, if you are concerned of having to find a new unbiased news source, fret no more! Below are 3 of my favorite unbiased new sources! 

1.) Politico 

Politico is a robust news operation that specializes in politics and policy. Its vision is to expand access to reliable information and non partisan journalism to engage global citizenry. I typically read it in a  academic setting for professional opinion forming rather than for enjoyment. I recommend reading news on Politico because there is always something for everyone. Ranging from domestic issues to foreign policy, Politico has got you covered. They offer exclusive reporting and analysis while arming its readers with the intellectual capacity to make informed decisions. Those who wish to understand Washington and governments around the globe must go to politico first to get their news!

2.) The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news source that is dedicated to reporting the facts and not the fiction. AP is described as the most widely used and most trusted news source because of its consistent reporting of unbiased and accurate news. What I really like about The Associated Press is that 2/3 of their reporting staff are journalists who are trained to report fast and accurate news regardless of political party, widley making this news source a good unbiased source. The Associated Press also has news for everyone! Reporting news ranging from politics to sports and entertainment, AP has something for every news junkie and there is always more to uncover!

3.) The Wall Street Journal

This recommendation goes out to all my investors and business fans in the blogosphere. The Wall Street Journal is a international business news source that concentrates on finance, investment and corporate news.  This is a great news sources for any news regarding business and economics, while still having space for other news regarding politics and international news. The Wall Street Journal is regarded as a unbiased source that reports factual and centrist news, that is, if you steer clear of the opinion section. The Opinion section typically leans more towards conservative viewpoints, which is fine because they are opinion pieces. Otherwise The Wall Street journal is a great place to grow knowledge and stay informed in the world business and economic news! 

These next two news sources are my personal favorite ways to consume my daily news reporting. While one tends to lean to a bias narrative, It is important to note that I supplement other unbiased new sources to 'factcheck' the news I receive from these sources. 

4.) CNN

Ah, the dredded big CNN. I would be misleading you if I told you CNN was unbiased. In reality it is biased in terms of story selection and political commentary that often is critical of the right. While they present straight coverage news, their accuracy rating is close to 80% which is why I supplement information from other sources so that I may fact check one another while enjoying the commentary of America's sweetheart Anderson Cooper. What can I say? New Years Eve is not the same without him! 

5.) Under the Desk News

This is my personal favorite way to consume my daily news! Being young and a Student, having access to millions of social media platforms at the tip of my fingers is something no generation before me had the opportunity to do. TikTok is the top app of the year and many news companies have come to realize its power in influencing younger generations. A creator named Vitus Spehar created a news source call Under the desk news and it is aimed at providing a safe space to report global current events, political analysis, and special interest stories in under 60 seconds. It is a easy way for teens to access reliable news without having to steer from their favorite apps to do so. It's a win win!