1. America and Arizona Government for Elementary Teachers Presentation 9: The Courts

2. Presentation Objectives AEPA Objectives 0011 Understand the structure, organization, and operation of the federal government. AZ Social Studies Standard, Strand 3 Concept 2: Structure of Government

3. Role of the Judiciary Primary role is to adjudicate Uphold the Rule of Law

4. Role of the Judiciary Settle Disputes

5. Role of the Judiciary Social Control Criminal proceedings Civil Dispute settlements, punitive awards Guarantee rights of minority groups Judicial Review – adjudicating regarding the political system itself

6. Actors in Judiciary Litigants  Plaintiff and defendant Standing to Sue

7. Actors in Judiciary Attorneys  Trained in law and rules of procedure  Maintain order by limiting speaking rights Jury

8. Actors in Judiciary Judge  Arbiter, Referee in adversarial system  Most appointed, some elected

9. Judicial Appointment It’s a political process  Clarence Thomas example  Thurgood Marshall example Judges campaign for the position Judge Robert Bork was an unsuccessful nominee of President Ronald Reagan

10. Judicial Appointment Confirmation usually a rubber stamp, but not always  Only 5 nominees rejected in one hundred years  More often the nomination is withdrawn – Harriet Meyers example  Hard to predict behavior Composition of current court George W. Bush and Harriet Miers

11. US Court System

12. Paths to the Supreme Court

13. Judicial Review Marbury v. Madison Chief Justice John Marshall

14. Judicial Review Activist v. Strict Constructionist views

15. Conclusion Chilean Dictator Pinochet Russian Supreme Court Colombian Supreme Court

16. This Presentation This presentation is courtesy of Brian Dille, Professor of Political Science at Mesa Community College.