Final answer:
Article III of the U.S. Constitution establishes the Judicial Branch, whose purposes include interpreting the Constitution and protecting individual rights. Congress has the power to shape the judiciary, with historical acts like the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789 laying the foundational structure. The Branch's constitutionally-bound arbiter role is crucial to the functioning of American democracy and the system of checks and balances.
Step-by-step explanation:
Article III of the U.S. Constitution and the Judicial Branch
Article III of the U.S. Constitution is significant as it establishes the Judicial Branch, setting forth the judicial power of the United States in one supreme Court, and such inferior courts as Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Constitution grants Congress significant discretion to determine the structure of the federal judiciary, including the number of Supreme Court Justices, which has been variable throughout history but stabilized at nine since 1869.
The purposes of the Judicial Branch as outlined in Article III include being the guardians of the Constitution, interpreting the Constitution, the development of public policy, and the preservation and expansion of individual rights and liberties. Article III is concise, leaving many details to be determined by Congress. This has allowed for the evolution of the judicial system, including the establishment of a dual court system and empowering Congress to create lower federal courts and determine the size of the Supreme Court. The Federal Judiciary Act of 1789 by the first Congress addressed the generality of Article III, laying the foundations of the Federal Judicial system.
The role of the Judicial Branch as a Constitution-bound arbiter contends with the powers of the legislative and executive branches, facilitating checks and balances within the U.S. government. The question of whether this role makes it as powerful as the other branches is open to debate, but it is undeniably central to the functioning of the American legal system and the protection of constitutional principles.