Announcements

Reminder - class will not meet on Tuesday, December 6th

Course compilation - due in my office the week of December 5th at your convenience, but no later than Friday, December 9th at 4:00. You can pick up your Buckeye papers when you turn in your compilation.

Final Exam -the final exam will be administered as scheduled on Tuesday, December 13th at 6:30 in Centennial room 218.  The final will consist of some combination (2-5) of the following questions.  Your answers must be carefully thought out, clearly communicated and legibly written to get full credit. All questions must be written in class, do not come with prepared answers to turn in.   The Final Exam is worth 200 points. 

 

All questions refer to the United States Supreme Court.

 

1.  During the semester you have been witness to the nomination of three persons to the Supreme Court, John Roberts, Harriet Meirs, and Samuel Alito. 

a. Describe the steps in the confirmation process.

b. Discuss the challenges (real or perceived) that each nominee faced, or in the case of Judge Alito, is facing.

 

2.  We began the semester by identifying our own political ideology in an attempt to recognize how these beliefs shape the social and political issues we identify as important, and how we see the role of the courts in resolving these issues.  Discuss how and why the views of a strong conservative Supreme Court Justice would differ from a strong liberal Justice on the issues of constitutional interpretation, privacy rights and religion in society.

 

3.  Describe and discuss and the subject matter jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

 

4.  Discuss the importance of the case Marbury v Madison.

 

5.  I will give you the names of four Justices.  You will have to tell me their age (w/i 2 years), name the President who appointed them, and whether they are perceived to be a liberal, moderate or conservative member of the court, and why they have been given that designation.

 

6.  Discuss the circumstances under which the Court will grant a writ of certiorari.

 

7.  We discussed three Supreme Court cases (Dredd Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Korematsu) that today most would agree were decided wrongly.  For any one of the cases, discuss how it would be decided today and why it would be decided differently.