Unit 6 Mastery Project:
1) Identify and explain the organization of the Judiciary:
-The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
-The supreme court is the highest court. They have the final say on a law.
-The circuit courts are below the supreme and are appellate courts. There are 13 circuit courts with domains that are divided over the US.
-The district courts are below the circuit with 94 courts.
2) Identify and provide examples of the powers of the Judiciary powers:
-Original Jurisdiction; New York v Connecticut
-Judicial Review; Marbury v. Madison
-Hear cases from lower courts; Brown v Board of Education.
3) Identify and explain how Judiciary shares powers with the Congress, Executive, and bureaucracy.
-The Judicial branch backs congress' laws and the executive enforces the laws through the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is funded by congress.
4) Discuss the implications of Judiciary sharing powers with each of the following: Congress, Executive, and bureaucracy.
-Its a check & balance that helps the 3 branches remain equal but separate. It implies that the framers intended the government to keep itself in balance without becoming too large and powerful.
5) Discuss the functions that Judiciary performs.
-The judicial branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies the laws to individual court cases, and determines if a law is constitutional.
6) Identify how the power of the Judiciary has/may evolve gradually.
-The judges are becoming more activist and liberal with time which is leading them to make new constitutional interpretations. This will eventually lead to them extending their influence into public opinion and new ideas.
7) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and political parties.
-Presidents will tend to appoint judges that have similar ideas and beliefs as them. This normally means that they share the same political party identity as the president that appointed them. Liberal judges tend to take a more active role in interpreting the constitution while conservative judges have a more restrained interpretation.
8) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and interest groups.
-Interest groups lobby the judicial branch in the form of court cases. Lobbyists will often bring court cases to the supreme court that express their views.
9) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and media.
-The supreme court releases audio from their cases, but NO CAMERAS! They do not want public opinion to sway their decisions. After they come to a settlement they print and release their decision the next day.
10) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and state and local governments.
-The decisions made by the supreme court guide the lower courts in their decisions. They also serve as rules for the state governments (not laws, but as guidelines on if they'll be supported legally by the Judicial branch).
1) Identify and explain the organization of the Judiciary:
-The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
-The supreme court is the highest court. They have the final say on a law.
-The circuit courts are below the supreme and are appellate courts. There are 13 circuit courts with domains that are divided over the US.
-The district courts are below the circuit with 94 courts.
2) Identify and provide examples of the powers of the Judiciary powers:
-Original Jurisdiction; New York v Connecticut
-Judicial Review; Marbury v. Madison
-Hear cases from lower courts; Brown v Board of Education.
3) Identify and explain how Judiciary shares powers with the Congress, Executive, and bureaucracy.
-The Judicial branch backs congress' laws and the executive enforces the laws through the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is funded by congress.
4) Discuss the implications of Judiciary sharing powers with each of the following: Congress, Executive, and bureaucracy.
-Its a check & balance that helps the 3 branches remain equal but separate. It implies that the framers intended the government to keep itself in balance without becoming too large and powerful.
5) Discuss the functions that Judiciary performs.
-The judicial branch interprets the meaning of the laws, applies the laws to individual court cases, and determines if a law is constitutional.
6) Identify how the power of the Judiciary has/may evolve gradually.
-The judges are becoming more activist and liberal with time which is leading them to make new constitutional interpretations. This will eventually lead to them extending their influence into public opinion and new ideas.
7) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and political parties.
-Presidents will tend to appoint judges that have similar ideas and beliefs as them. This normally means that they share the same political party identity as the president that appointed them. Liberal judges tend to take a more active role in interpreting the constitution while conservative judges have a more restrained interpretation.
8) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and interest groups.
-Interest groups lobby the judicial branch in the form of court cases. Lobbyists will often bring court cases to the supreme court that express their views.
9) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and media.
-The supreme court releases audio from their cases, but NO CAMERAS! They do not want public opinion to sway their decisions. After they come to a settlement they print and release their decision the next day.
10) Identify and discuss the ties between the Judiciary and state and local governments.
-The decisions made by the supreme court guide the lower courts in their decisions. They also serve as rules for the state governments (not laws, but as guidelines on if they'll be supported legally by the Judicial branch).