UP:SS10.USG.13

Vocabulary

  • strict/loose construction
  • impartiality
  • lower court
  • ideology
  • appellate court
  • landmark case
  • jurisdiction
  • judicial review
  • appointment
  • Supreme Court
  • opinion/decision
  • district court

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How key landmark Supreme Court cases influenced the interpretation of constitutional rights of citizens and powers/limitations of American government.
  • The means by which judges interpret the meaning of the Constitution, including strict and loose construction.
  • The organization of the American court system, including the powers and limitations of each level and type of court.
  • The process by which Supreme Court justices are appointed, including the consideration of ideology and how such may impact future decisions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the effect by which landmark decisions change the interpretation of constitutional provisions and rights.
  • Illustrate the process by which a court case is initiated in a lower level court and can then later be decided by the US Supreme Court.
  • Critique the process by which political ideology becomes a factor in both the appointment process of judges as well as the decision-making process in deciding cases.
  • Analyze an excerpt of a Supreme Court decision to ascertain the constitutional interpretation evident as well as the impact it may have on a constitutional right or provision.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The powers, limitations, and organization of the judicial branch of American government, including how these determine the means by which a case arrives to, is argued before, and is decided upon by the Supreme Court, helps shape the law in the U.S.
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