National Government: The Judicial Branch
Session 6: How the Supreme Court Works

Materials

• Overhead projector or board
• Graphic organizer, How the Supreme Court Works (Attachment B)
• Bulletin board paper or blank drawing paper

Instructional Activities

1. Review content from previous sessions.
   
   
2. Instruct students to respond to the following question in their notebooks:
   
   What are the benefits, as well as restraints, of the Supreme Court assuming additional areas of power? (As noted in the Marbury v. Madison case.)
   
   
3. Allow students to read the section in the textbook that pertains to the Supreme Court at work or steps in deciding major cases.
   
   
4. Students should complete a graphic organizer, similar to the one provided on Attachment B, of each phase of a hearing in the Supreme Court (Submitting Briefs, Oral Arguments, and The Conference) by placing important details about each topic on the lines to the right. All vocabulary words that are italicized or bolded in the textbook should be explained on the lines as well.
   
   
5. Allow students to work in groups to prepare either a poster or political cartoon that illustrates and explains the role of the Supreme Court.  Concepts such as conferences, opinions, and the expanded privileges that the court inherited after the Marbury v. Madison case should be included.
   
   
6. Have students write a brief explanation of their opinions on the issues of affirmative action and capital punishment. Instruct them to identify in their explanations the constitutional concerns raised by these issues.