Chapter 8, Student Web Activities, Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You, Glencoe, 2003

Social Studies, Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You

Chapter 8: The Judicial Branch
“Supreme Court Decisions”

Introduction
In this chapter you have read about the judicial branch of government. Article III of the U.S. Constitution created a national Supreme Court and gave Congress the power to establish lower federal courts. While the Supreme Court holds original jurisdiction over two types of cases, most of its cases are heard on appeal from lower courts. In this activity you will take a closer look at the workings of the Supreme Court.

Destination Title: FindLaw Constitutional Law Center

Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window.
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Directions
Start at the FindLaw Web site.

Under “Court Resources” click on Court History.
Scroll down to read about the history of the Supreme Court.

Use what you have learned to answer the following questions.

1. About how petitions are presented to the Court each year?

2. Who does the initial screening of petitions? How does the voting on which petitions to accept take place?

3. Why do the justices sometimes ask hypothetical questions?

4. What do lawyers receive as a souvenir when they argue a case before the Supreme Court?

5. Create an illustrated flow chart showing the steps a case goes through in the Supreme Court. Begin with the initial petition and conclude the with the Court’s decision. Include pictures or drawings to illustrate the steps in the process.