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Learning Activity: Research the Supreme Court confirmation process

(CNN Student News) -- Students will learn about the composition of the Supreme Court and how a court vacancy is filled, and they will research the background of President Bush's Supreme Court nominee.

Procedure

Direct your students to their texts and online resources to learn about the Supreme Court confirmation process and the responsibilities of a Supreme Court justice. After students review the information, ask them: Why do you think that the confirmation process is so involved? In your view, are these steps necessary? Why or why not?

Following the discussion, remind students that President Bush nominated Judge John Roberts to succeed Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died on September 3 at the age of 80. Next, divide your students into eight groups, and assign each group a current Supreme Court justice. Have groups prepare and deliver brief presentations on the justices' backgrounds and their roles on the court. After groups present their findings, ask them: How would you define the ideological balance of the current court?

After the discussion, instruct students to conduct additional research to learn about Judge John Roberts' background and his positions on key national issues such as capital punishment, church and state separation, privacy rights, the right to die and Roe v. Wade. Then, ask students:

Correlated Standards

Civics

Standard 15. Understands how the United States Constitution grants and distributes power and responsibilities to national and state government and how it seeks to prevent the abuse of power

Level IV [Grade 9-12]

Benchmark 6. Understands the extent to which each branch of the government reflects the people's sovereignty (e.g., Congress legislates on behalf of the people, the president represents the nation as a whole, the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution on behalf of the people)

Benchmark 7. Understands how specific features and the overall design of the Constitution results in tensions among the three branches (e.g., the power of the purse, the power of impeachment, advice and consent, veto power, judicial review), and comprehends the argument that the tensions resulting from separation of powers, checks and balances, and judicial review tend to slow down the process of making and enforcing laws, thus insuring better outcomes

McREL: Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks), 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014.

Keywords

Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist, John Roberts, nominee, Senate Judiciary Committee, confirmation

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