POL115 v4 wk3 Civil Liberties U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet.docx PDF

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Download POL115 v4 wk3 Civil Liberties U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet.docx PDF

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POL/115 v4

Civil Liberties and the U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet Part I: Research and respond to the following 5 U.S. Supreme Court questions. Use academically appropriate websites for your research, and cite your sources. Each response should include at least 50 words, and you are encouraged to incorporate this week’s vocabulary terms into your responses. 1. How was the Supreme Court formed? The Supreme Court was established by the U.S. Constitution during the Constitutional Convention. It wasn’t officially in place until the Judiciary Act of 1789 was passed by congress and was initially made up of six justices. The court was formed as one of the checks and balances in our government.

Wagner, W. J. (1959, Spring). The History and Role of a Supreme Court in a Federal System. Montana Law Review, 20(2), 1-2.

2.

What powers are granted to the Supreme Court? The Supreme Court is the final court of appeals in our judicial process. This court is the interpreter and guardian of the Constitution. It is also the final judicial arbiter in the United States on matters of federal law. It can declare acts of Congress or the state legislatures unconstitutional. Executive, administrative and judicial actions are subject to review by the court.

Smentkowski, B. P. (2020, October). Supreme Court of the United States. Encyclopædia Britannica, (), . https://www.britannica.com/topic/Supreme-Court-of-the-United-States

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Civil Liberties and the U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet POL/115 v4 Page 2 of 4

3. How does someone get elected to the Supreme Court? The process of being elected to the Supreme Court begins with a Presidential nomination. Once the president makes his nomination, he must submit his nomination in writing to the Senate. The senate will then vote to confirm the nominee. This allows both the Executive and Legislative branches to have a voice in the making of the court.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/

4. What are the roles and responsibilities of the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court justices are policymakers in the United States, their decisions are precedent and affect legislative regulation not only for the sake of specific cases but also for similar ones in the future. Their primary role to determine if any constitutional rights have been broken and to interpret the law.

Baum, L. (2003, June). The Supreme Court in American Politics. Annual Review of Political Science, 6(), . https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.polisci.6.121901.085526

5. How does the Supreme Court interact with the other 2 U.S. government branches? Consider the concept of checks and balances.

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Civil Liberties and the U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet POL/115 v4 Page 3 of 4 The Supreme Court acts as a check and balance for both the Executive branch and Legislative branch. The Supreme court can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional. The Legislative branch makes laws however, the Supreme Court can have those laws declared unconstitutional.

Khavtasi, Iviko. (2019, December). The Political Role of the Supreme Court of the United States under the Separation of Powers and its Model of Checks and Balances. Journal of Constitutional Law, 2(), pp. 61 – 73. https://doaj.org/article/1fd1e91486df47a5a1e63cd8a87a7102?

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Civil Liberties and the U.S. Supreme Court Worksheet POL/115 v4 Page 4 of 4

Part II: Research the following Supreme Court cases:   

Brown v. Board of Education Roe v. Wade United States v. Nixon

As you review these cases, consider their impact on civil liberties. Answer each of the 3 questions below separately for each case in a minimum of 50 words. Use academically appropriate websites for your research, and cite your sources. You are encouraged to incorporate this week’s vocabulary terms into your responses.

1. What was the case about? Brown v. Board of Education was a case on racial segregation in public schools. This case inspired the civil rights movements of the late 1950’s and 60’s. Four States consolidated four class-actions lawsuits on behalf of the African American school students that had been denied admission to all white public schools.

2. What did the Supreme Court decide? In this case the court voted unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. They declared that separate school facilities for students were inherently unequal.

3. How did that decision affect American society? The courts decisions had a major impact on American society, although the decision strictly applied to public schools, it implied that segregation should not be acceptable in other facilities. This sparked the Civil Rights movement. School integration took time but it did lead to the end of segregation in the whole U.S.

Duignan, B. (2020, May ). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Encyclopædia Britannica, (), .https://www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka

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