Judicial System Basics
This branch of government interprets the laws of the United States.
judicial branch
This case confirmed the idea of segregation in schools.
Plessy v. Ferguson
These are individual freedoms that must be protected from the government.
civil liberties
Federal judges are appointed this way.
appointed by the president and approved by the Senate
Speech that attempts to overthrow the government or endanger national security.
sedition
The Supreme Court must make all decisions based on this.
Constitution
The 1789 act that created district and circuit courts to manage the federal caseload.
Judiciary Act of 1789
This case gave the judicial branch the power of judicial review.
Marbury v. Madison
These rights extend to everyone, and the government ensures they are protected.
civil rights
Judges who respect laws as written and adhere to precedent exercise this.
judicial restraint
Trying to prevent speech before it is expressed is called this.
prior restraint
The current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
John Roberts
These types of cases are handled by federal courts, involving the U.S. or federal law.
cases against the United States, violations of the Constitution or federal law
This case ended segregation in public schools.
Brown v. Board of Education
Malicious spoken words are called this.
slander
Judges who use their own political or social views to govern their rulings exercise this.
judicial activism
Speech expressing ideas through actions is known as this.
symbolic speech
The Supreme Court motto found at its entrance.
Equal Justice Under Law
The three tiers of the federal court system.
District Courts, Circuit Courts of Appeals, Supreme Court
This case allowed school administrators to conduct searches based on reasonable suspicion.
TLO v. New Jersey
Malicious written words are called this.
libel
Federal judges serve for this length of time.
until retirement, death, or removal by impeachment
Speech that involves a genuine threat or incites violence, rather than just endorsing ideas.
clear and present danger test
Today, the Supreme Court leans primarily toward this political ideology.
conservative
The legal principle that means a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.
“innocent until proven guilty”
This case guaranteed certain rights for individuals being arrested.
Miranda v. Arizona
Being tried for the same crime twice is prohibited by the 5th Amendment.
double jeopardy
The modern Supreme Court has this many justices, including one Chief Justice. Name the Chief Justice and at least one other justice.
nine; Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and eight associate justices: Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Favoring individuals who belong to a group that suffered from discrimination is called this.
affirmative action
Opinion of a judge that evaluates laws involved, explains the decision, and decides if it should be precedent is called this.
judge’s formal opinion
Explain the origins and meaning of the term ‘wall of separation’ when referring to church and state.
Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists regarding the “wall of separation” between church and state. The phrase is NOWHERE in the Constitution, Declaration, or Bill of Rights
The government may restrict only four types of speech:
speech that threatens public safety
speech that attempts to overthrow the government or endanger national security (sedition)
speech that attempts to damage an individual’s reputation or property (slander)
speech that is obscene
Evaluate the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. What was the basis of the original ruling? Was this a strong Constitutional argument? Explain. Summarize the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) ruling. Offer your opinion of the Constitutionality of the new ruling.
In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment protected abortion as a fundamental right.
Argument is weak - privacy is not explicitly stated in the 14th Amendment, or anywhere in the Constitution. The Declaration (a founding document) directly affirms the “right to life”.
Writing for the majority in Dobbs, Justice Samuel Alito said that the only legitimate unenumerated rights (rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution) are those “deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.” Abortion, the majority held, is not such a right.
My opinion: