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Lesson 25: What Is the Role of the Supreme Court in the American Constitutional System?


Media


What are the constitutional powers of the Supreme Court?   (Video)

Constitutional powers of the Supreme Court; issues regarding scope of power and lifetime terms; original and appellate jurisdiction; Marbury v. Madison; Congressional control over the extent of appellate jurisdiction; writs of certiorari; political considerations by the Supreme Court; issue of conflicting circuit court opinions; goal of uniformity; decisions regarding individual rights.


Student Questions: Unit 4, Lesson 25, Sections 1-3 (pdf download)







What methods are used to interpret the Constitution?   (Video)
Advantages and disadvantages of four common methods of interpreting the Constitution: textualism, originalism, fundamental principles, and modernism or instrumentalism (living Constitution); importance of written opinions.





What checks exist on the power of the Supreme Court?   (Video)
Checks on the powers of the Supreme Court; maintaining the integrity of the Court; influence of presidential appointments; enforcement of Court decisions; Congressional capacity to limit power of the Court; federalism and the implementation of Supreme Court decisions; justifications given for limited terms for Supreme Court justices.





The Importance of the Supreme Court   (Video)
An video discussion of the importance of the Supreme Court.





Supreme Court   (Video)
Hear the basics about our Supreme Court from the 2 Teachers.





Chief Justice Roberts on Oral Argument   (Video)
Chief Justice John Roberts talks about his experiences of being nervous when he was an attorney and argued cases in front of the Supreme Court.





Justice Scalia on Judges   (Video)
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia advises people not to judge judges unless you have studied the cases that they have.





Excerpts from Interviews with Supreme Court Justices   (Video)
Various excerpts of Supreme Court Justices being interviewed by C-SPAN.





Inside the Supreme Court   (Video)
Kate Bolduan (CNN) takes a rare peek at what lies behind the walls of the Supreme Court.





Interpreting the Constitution in Modern Day America   (Video)
Dr. Lindsay Robertson outlines two of the most prominent modern theories of constitutional interpretation: Originalism and the Living Constitution.





John Roberts: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings   (Video)
This video from PBS NewsHour documents the Senate confirmation hearing for John Roberts, who was later confirmed as Chief Justice of the United States.





The Courts: Our Rule of Law   (Video)
A video about the role of courts in the American system of government. From Annenberg Media's Learner.org website.



The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible?   (Video)
A video that examines whether the Constitution should be interpreted to meet the changing needs of the country. From Annenberg Media's Learner.org website.



Judicial Review: Constitutional Interpretation   (Video)
Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Antonin Scalia discuss their different theories of how to interpret the Constitution. Justice Scalia describes his textualist, strict constructionist philosophy while Justice Breyer explains his developmentalist, evolutionist philosophy. (37 min). Video from Annenberg Classroom.



Our Constitution: A Conversation   (Video)
In this video, Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer discuss the importance of the Constitution and explain several basic principles of American constitutionalism. They answer student questions about separation of powers, the Court's modern relevance, federalism, liberty versus security, notable cases, decision-making in the Court. The link takes you to Annenberg's Sunnylands Classroom website, were the film can be watched in numerous file sizes, and where visitors can watch the film in numerous languages or read a transcript. Filmed in 2005. Length: 29 min., 7 sec.



Louisiana v. Mississippi (1995)   (Audio)
The oral argument of the case.



Kyllo v. United States (2001)   (Audio)
The oral argument and opinion announcement of the case.



Rapanos v. United States (2006)   (Audio)
The oral argument and opinion announcement of the case.



60-Second Civics, Episode 27: Congress and the Power of the Supreme Court   (Audio)
The ability of Congress to check the power of the Supreme Court.





60-Second Civics, Episode 26: Executive Enforcement of Supreme Court Decisions   (Audio)
Executive enforcement of Supreme Court decisions as a check on the power of the Court.





60-Second Civics, Episode 25: Presidential Appointments and the Supreme Court   (Audio)
Presidential appointments as a check on the power of the Supreme Court.





60-Second Civics, Episode 24: Self-Imposed Limits on the Supreme Court   (Audio)
Self-imposed limits, one of several checks on the power of the Supreme Court.





60-Second Civics, Episode 23: Constitutional Interpretation: Instrumentalism   (Audio)
An examination of instrumentalism, the final of four common methods of constitutional interpretation.





60-Second Civics, Episode 22: Constitutional Interpretation: Fundamental Princi   (Audio)
An examination of fundamental principles, the third of four common methods of constitutional interpretation.





60-Second Civics, Episode 21: Constitutional Interpretation: Original Intent   (Audio)
An examination of original intent, the second of four common methods of constitutional interpretation.





60-Second Civics, Episode 20: Constitutional Interpretation: Textualism   (Audio)
An examination of textualism, the first of four common methods of constitutional interpretation.





60-Second Civics, Episode 19: Written Opinions   (Audio)
The Supreme Court's practice of issuing written opinions.





60-Second Civics, Episode 18: Declining Supreme Court Caseload   (Audio)
How the number of cases the Supreme Court decides has changed in recent years.





60-Second Civics, Episode 17: Writs of Certiorari   (Audio)
How the Supreme Court decides to hear a case.





60-Second Civics, Episode 16: Appellate Jurisdiction   (Audio)
The Supreme Court?s appellate jurisdiction.





60-Second Civics, Episode 15: Original Jurisdiction   (Audio)
The Supreme Court?s original jurisdiction.





60-Second Civics, Episode 14: Role of the Supreme Court   (Audio)
The role of the Supreme Court in the American constitutional system.





60-Second Civics, Episode 13: Arguments Against Judicial Review   (Audio)
Some of the arguments against judicial review.





60-Second Civics, Episode 10: Judicial Review   (Audio)
The power of judicial review.





60-Second Civics, Episode 9: Characteristics of the Federal Judiciary   (Audio)
Some of the characteristics of the federal judiciary.





60-Second Civics, Episode 8: The Creation of the Judicial Branch   (Audio)
Having provided context for the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for justice Sonia Sotomayor, over the span of a few weeks 60-Second Civics examined the judicial branch of the United States government.