Lesson of the day
Judicial Branch (Grade 7-12)
Listen: You can hear the episode here (Apple podcasts) on YouTube, or on our website. Feel free to take notes on our graphic organizer while you do. When you listen to the episode, keep these thoughts in mind:
Hamilton called the Judicial Branch the weakest of the three, and “next to nothing.” How on earth did it become what it is today?
Do the personal beliefs of the Supreme Court justices affect their decision-making? Do you think personal beliefs should be a part of judicial decisions? Why or why not?
Do: Everybody Do the Circuit Court Split! (Grade 8-12)
No, it’s not a nifty-fifties dance craze (though maybe it should be), it’s just when the circuit courts have made contradicting rulings on a law, making it more likely the Supreme Court will take a case and clear everything up. The most recent big example of this is Texas v United States, where the 5th Circuit declared the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. First, let’s find out what circuit you live in...
Here are the Circuit Courts of Appeals. Civics 101 is located in the 1st Circuit.
Animal likes the one-knee split.
Ok, so which circuit do you live in?
Once you know, look up a recent example of a split involving your circuit. For example, I’d google “1st circuit court splits” to see what’s happened in mine.
The language in these splits can be tough to decipher, but can you figure out:
What’s the name of the case that is creating the split?
What’s the case about, generally?
Is there any way the decision is relative to you? How?
That’s it for today, stay civil, do a split if you can, even if it’s the one-knee version!
