Lesson 15: Judiciary Notes
Duration of Days: 2
Lesson Objective
Identify and explain the structure of the federal judiciary, including the roles of district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court.
Define and apply key judicial concepts such as judicial review, judicial restraint, judicial activism, precedent, stare decisis, and original vs. living constitutionalism.
Explain the process of judicial selection, including presidential nomination, Senate confirmation, and the role of ideology in judicial appointments.
Analyze the role of the Supreme Court in interpreting the Constitution and shaping public policy through landmark cases.
Describe the checks on judicial power, including congressional authority, executive enforcement, and the amendment process.
In what ways is the judiciary both independent from and constrained by the other branches of government?
CG.Civ.14.a. Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of protecting, defending, and
promoting constitutional rights in the United States (e.g., law-making, federal court system,
constitutional amendments, Supreme Court decisions, exercising constitutional rights).
CG.Civ.5.a. Evaluate the relationship between law-making, enforcement, and interpretation in balancing
the rights of the individual with the well being of society (e.g., Bill of Rights, Supreme Court
cases).
Students will:
Explain the role of the judiciary in interpreting the Constitution.
Describe how cases move through the federal court system.
Summarize how judicial philosophies influence court decisions.
Explain how the judiciary is checked by the other branches of government.
N/A
Notes check, notes quiz, and discussion will encompass the assessment of understanding.
books.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uP1z3LnTseVWkPwwZD-OraNOURh07EBP5oeKVle26HE/edit?tab=t.0
Notes quiz.