The place of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution in society is very much like the place of oil in an automobile engine. It's essential to keep the machine running. As the nation's ultimate interpreter of the Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court defines the rules of government and ensures that all public officials obey them. The nine justices in this high court hand down opinions that often profoundly influence American society. The Supreme Court is primarily a court of appeals, choosing cases that come from lower federal courts or the state supreme courts.
Individuals bring cases.
Those cases establish principles. Many Connecticut citizens have been at the forefront of that. In 1961 Estelle Griswold and Planned Parenthood challenge a state law prohibiting contraceptive use. The case leads to a new constitutional right. In 1839, enslaved West African Cinque leads a successful rebellion, focusing attention on slavery in the years before the Civil War.