Unpacked Content
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.
Vocabulary
- strict/loose construction
- impartiality
- lower court
- ideology
- appellate court
- landmark case
- jurisdiction
- judicial review
- appointment
- Supreme Court
- opinion/decision
- district court
