1. The Judiciary

2. Constitutional Foundations
Structure of the Courts
Term of Office for Judges
Powers of the Federal Courts
Federal v. State Jurisdiction
Original v. appellate jurisdiction

3. Modern Court Structure
US District Courts (94)
US Appellate Courts (13)
US Supreme Court (1)
Video:

4. The US Constitutional Courts

5. The US Judicial Circuits

6. Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

7. Setting the Supreme Court Docket
3 Sources of Cases
Factors in choosing to grant “cert”:
Unsettled law
Conflicting lower court opinions
Shifting composition of the Court
Conference and the “Rule of Four”

8. Setting the Agenda

9. Types of Cases in the Sup. Ct.

10. Hearing Cases Submitting Briefs Oral Arguments Conference
Amicus Curiae briefs
Oral Arguments
Conference

11. Making Decisions

12. Judicial Review Review
Video:
:41-3:30

13. Judicial Interpretation
Interpretation of the Constitution
strict Interpretation
loose interpretation
Role of Judges
judicial restraint
judicial activism

14. Example of Oral Argument
Obergefell v. Hodges
Mary Bonauto,oral argument part I – 5:55-Bryer min.
Judicial Activism v. Judicial Restraint
video: start at 2:33

15. Deciding Cases Writing Opinions Implementation of the Decision
Majority Opinion
Concurring Opinion
Dissenting Opinion
Implementation of the Decision
Recent Court Eras – review game

16. Selection of Judges Presidential Nomination
Process
Criteria
Video:
Senate Confirmation
Senatorial Courtesy
Hearings and Confirmation
Video:
Video:

17. Unsuccessful Nominations

19. The Current Supreme Court

20. Courts and Democracy Membership of the Federal Courts
Influence of Public Opinions (or lack thereof).
Exercise of Judicial Review

22. Constraints on Judicial Power
Adversarial system
Cases and controversies
Justiciability
Stare Decisis
Checks from President
Checks from Congress