Equal Justice Under Law US Supreme Court Overview

1
Equal Justice Under LawUS Supreme Court Overview

• US Government Class
• Mr. Collins December, 2008

2
Equal Justice Under Law Todays Class Topics

• The three branches of U.S.Government
• The Judicial Branch The Supreme Court
• How the Court is Organized
• Types of cases heard before the Court
• Historic and Contemporary Ones
• Courtroom Simulations you are the Court!

3
Three Branches of GovernmentEstablished by the
US Constitution

• Separation of Powers
• Each branch is independent
• Checks and Balances exist between branches
• The Executive Branch
• The Judicial Branch
• The Legislative Branch

4
The Supreme Court

• Equal Justice Under Law

• Explicit Powers
• Article III of the Constitution
• Implied Powers
• Judicial Review
• Supreme Court rulings are final
• The highest court in the land

5
How The Court Is Organized

• The Supreme Court is made of up nine Justices led
  by the Chief Justice
• The Court has jurisdiction over other Federal
  Courts
• John Marshall was the second Chief Justice
• helped define the role of the Court

• It is emphatically the province of the judicial
  department to say what the law is.

6
Types of Cases Heard by the Court

• The Supreme Court can originate some hearings
• Explicit powers
• Most cases are sent from lower courts
• Implied powers of judicial review
• Only 100 cases or less are heard each year

7
Some examples of historic decisions by the
Supreme Court

• Plessy v Ferguson (1896)
• Ruled separate but equal treatment of blacks
  was constitutional
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
• Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson
• Launched the Civil Rights movement
• Bush v. Gore (2000)
• Determined Florida voting results valid

8
Contemporary decisions that could affect
teenagers like you

• Rights of passengers in a car being chased by
  police
• High-speed police chases
• Cell phone surveillance

9
We are going to conduct some classroom
simulations on similar topics

• Could these affect you?
• Texting While Driving
• Downloading Music and Movies
• Teen House Party Search
• We will use materials on the Supreme Court
  website www.uscourts.gov
• The simulations will take place Wed - Fri

10
What weve learned

• The Judiciary is one of the three branches of
  the US Government
• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the
  land
• The decisions of the Court have a major impact
• The cases before the Court are relevant to you!