American
Government
Web quest
Supreme Court Decisions
Marta D'Alessio Daniel Cuff
Jane Addams Vocational High school
Bronx, New York
Introduction: The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. It functions mainly as an appeals court, one that tries cases originally heard in lower courts. Nine justices sit on the Supreme Court. Appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, they can serve for life. In this activity, you will research and evaluate recent Supreme Court decisions.
Task: 1. To use the Internet to locate Supreme Court decisions.
- To conduct research on a specific decision by accessing hypertext links.
- To write a brief summary of the decision.
- To outline student opinion on the main issue of the case.
Process: 1. Go to the United States Supreme
Court Archival Research Center
- Browse the site for recent Supreme Court decisions or for decisions that interest you, such as cases involving education
- Choose one case. Read all the information available, including the history of the case with lower court decisions, previous documents filed, and opinions filed by Supreme Court justices.
- Write a brief summary of the case, including basic facts, previous decisions, and the Supreme Court decision.
- Draft an outline of your own personal view on the issue. Support your argument by referring to specific sections of the Constitution of the United States. The text of the Constitution can be found in your textbook or at the following URL: http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm
Resources: Public Library, Jane Addams Library, Government in America Textbook (Hardy, 1996) World History Connections of Today. (Ellis and Esler,1999)
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/home.html
http://www.usscplus.com/
http://oyez.nwu.edu/
Task: 2 Before turning your assignment, make sure you have completed: 1. A brief summary of a Supreme Court case, including basic facts, previous decisions, and Supreme Court decision; 2. An outline of your view on the issue with references to the constitution of the United States.
Learning Advice: 1. Use the various search engines to assist you with the research of this topic. 2. If you need further advice feel free to E-mail me at malfaro@gateway.net
Conclusion: You will present to the
class an outline of the case you chose and your own view on the case. Allow
your classmates to ask you questions and present opposing viewpoints. Then
conduct a class opinion poll on the issue.