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Learning Activity: Research the Supreme Court confirmation process

• Supreme Court of the United States

• Extra!: Supreme Court

SPECIAL REPORT

CNN STUDENT NEWS

(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 latest Supreme Court nominee.

Procedure

Inform students that confirmation hearings began on January 9 for Judge Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court seat held by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Next, 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, divide your students into nine 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 Samuel Alito's background and his positions on key issues such as capital punishment, church and state separation, privacy rights, the right to die and Roe v. Wade. Then, ask students:

Based on what you know about Alito, do you think that he would affect the ideological balance of the current court if his nomination is approved? Why or why not?

If you were on the Senate Judiciary Committee, what questions would you want to ask Alito during the hearings? Why?

Do you think that Alito should be confirmed? Why or why not?

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, Samuel Alito, nominee, Senate Judiciary Committee, confirmation

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