Tuesday, February 27, 2007
More about the Supreme Court
This listing of cases shows all of the caes decided so far by the U.S. Supreme Court this term.
The fifth case on the list, Carey v. Musladin, is a good example of a 9-0 decision with concurring opinions.
Also, this article from today's N&O shows a case where the court denied cert.
We can look up the case name using the online docket.
Plug in the name Blackwater v. Nordan, 06-857, and you get this summary.
The fifth case on the list, Carey v. Musladin, is a good example of a 9-0 decision with concurring opinions.
Also, this article from today's N&O shows a case where the court denied cert.
We can look up the case name using the online docket.
Plug in the name Blackwater v. Nordan, 06-857, and you get this summary.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Supreme Court Simulation
This is the main site for the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court's calendar shows that, as we discussed in class, it begins on the First Monday in October, and ends in June. Here is the detailed schedule for this week's cases.
Here is a FANTASTIC resource to help us understand the case of Earls v. Board of Education.
In general, the Oyez website is extremely useful for learning about the Court.
You can take even take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court. Here, see a picture Michael Jordan signed for Justice Stevens on his birthday. Here's a hole-in-one that Justice Stevens once shot.
Here's another summary of the Earls case, from Cornell Law School.
The court's calendar shows that, as we discussed in class, it begins on the First Monday in October, and ends in June. Here is the detailed schedule for this week's cases.
Here is a FANTASTIC resource to help us understand the case of Earls v. Board of Education.
In general, the Oyez website is extremely useful for learning about the Court.
You can take even take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court. Here, see a picture Michael Jordan signed for Justice Stevens on his birthday. Here's a hole-in-one that Justice Stevens once shot.
Here's another summary of the Earls case, from Cornell Law School.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Supreme Court Simulation
Read this article about drug testing in a public high school.
Then, watch this video from the ACLU about the case.
Here is some additional background information about the case and the Fourth Amendment.
Here are some precedent cases to explore. Lower court cases are not binding on the Supreme Court, but Justices are welcome to consider the lower court's arguments.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As we have discussed, the process for getting on the Supreme Court is to be nominated by the President and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate after the Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearings to learn about the nominee's qualifications.
Once seated, a Justice serves for life, unless he or she is impeached. Only one justice, Samuel Chase, was ever impeached by the House of Representatives. That happened in 1804, but Justice Chase was not convicted by the Senate, so he stayed on the bench until he died in 1811.
Not that "impeach" means to accuse -- to be removed from a position, an official must be impeached and convicted. For instance, President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998, but acquitted in early 1999.
In the 1960s, some people in the South wanted to impeach Chief Justice Earl Warren, but that never happened. Warren was one of the few Supreme Court Justices not to be a judge before being appointed to serve on the Supreme Court (he was Governor of California when he was nominated to the Court).
Note: While I was looking up the link to the Senate Judiciary Committee, I foung this hearing the Judiciary Committee just held about the Darfur genocide.
Then, watch this video from the ACLU about the case.
Here is some additional background information about the case and the Fourth Amendment.
Here are some precedent cases to explore. Lower court cases are not binding on the Supreme Court, but Justices are welcome to consider the lower court's arguments.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As we have discussed, the process for getting on the Supreme Court is to be nominated by the President and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate after the Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearings to learn about the nominee's qualifications.
Once seated, a Justice serves for life, unless he or she is impeached. Only one justice, Samuel Chase, was ever impeached by the House of Representatives. That happened in 1804, but Justice Chase was not convicted by the Senate, so he stayed on the bench until he died in 1811.
Not that "impeach" means to accuse -- to be removed from a position, an official must be impeached and convicted. For instance, President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998, but acquitted in early 1999.
In the 1960s, some people in the South wanted to impeach Chief Justice Earl Warren, but that never happened. Warren was one of the few Supreme Court Justices not to be a judge before being appointed to serve on the Supreme Court (he was Governor of California when he was nominated to the Court).
Note: While I was looking up the link to the Senate Judiciary Committee, I foung this hearing the Judiciary Committee just held about the Darfur genocide.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
What is Civics?
Watch this video of Richard Dreyfus from the TV show HBO: Real Time with Bill Maher
Then watch part two of the video.
How does Mr. Dreyfus describe the purpose of civic education? What other points does he make? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? How are we doing as citizens?
Here are some portions of his talk, transcribed by Steve:
We owe ourselves and the US that we will pass off to our children to re-learn the tools of reason logic clarity dissent civility and debate. And those things are the non-partisan basis of democracy and without them we can kiss this thing goodbye [applause].
What we have to do is get it back.
Civics – the expertise needed to understand western Enlightenment and civil liberties – is not something you’re born with; you have to learn it.
Unless we teach the ideas that make America a miracle in government … it will go away in your kid’s lifetime…
You have to teach it in school. If you don’t you really lose it to fundamentalists of any stripe, you will lose it to stupidity, you will lose it to the darkness.
If it lasts… it will be because we put some effort into teaching what it is – the ideas of America. The idea of opportunity, mobility, freedom of thought, freedom of assembly. And if you don’t teach it, it will go away. And in the middle of the night when the towers fall, we will not say “what am I responsible for?” We will say “tell us what to do.”
Dreyfus: Democracy in any form is only two or three hundred years old.
Maher: No it’s not… they practiced it in Ancient Greece…
Dreyfus: … and it went away for 2000 years.
Then watch part two of the video.
How does Mr. Dreyfus describe the purpose of civic education? What other points does he make? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? How are we doing as citizens?
Here are some portions of his talk, transcribed by Steve:
We owe ourselves and the US that we will pass off to our children to re-learn the tools of reason logic clarity dissent civility and debate. And those things are the non-partisan basis of democracy and without them we can kiss this thing goodbye [applause].
What we have to do is get it back.
Civics – the expertise needed to understand western Enlightenment and civil liberties – is not something you’re born with; you have to learn it.
Unless we teach the ideas that make America a miracle in government … it will go away in your kid’s lifetime…
You have to teach it in school. If you don’t you really lose it to fundamentalists of any stripe, you will lose it to stupidity, you will lose it to the darkness.
If it lasts… it will be because we put some effort into teaching what it is – the ideas of America. The idea of opportunity, mobility, freedom of thought, freedom of assembly. And if you don’t teach it, it will go away. And in the middle of the night when the towers fall, we will not say “what am I responsible for?” We will say “tell us what to do.”
Dreyfus: Democracy in any form is only two or three hundred years old.
Maher: No it’s not… they practiced it in Ancient Greece…
Dreyfus: … and it went away for 2000 years.
