Study Guide for Final Exam:

Landmark Supreme Court cases you should be familiar with:

Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
Miranda v. Arizona
Gideon v. Wainwright
Roe v. Wade
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education

Terms you should know:

Stare Decisis
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Code of Hammurabi

Individuals and other stuff you will need to know for the exam:

Warren Court
Rehnquist Court
William Rehnquist
Earl Warren
Hugo Black
Thurgood Marshall
Sandra Day O’Connor
Antonin Scalia

And make sure you are generally familiar with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pp. 564-569 in you textbook.

Links for Panisha's paper...

Here are some links to get you started...

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/publicschools/topic.aspx?topic=school_prayer

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/prayerdecision.html

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031700a.htm

No test tomorrow, study guide will be handed out in class...

Hi all,

I will not post the study guide questions on the blog tonight. Instead, I will give you a study guide in class tomorrow. The test will be postponed until Monday.

Two celebrity legal cases in the news...

Below are links to stories about two celebrity legal cases that are in the news currently. In each case, identify the following: 1. the defendant, 2. the plaintiff, 3. the charges (what crimes were committed), 4. what court the case is (will be) heard in, 5. what legal arguments the prosecuting and defense attorney's are making or are likely to make (what is the defendant pleading), 6. your opinon on the case.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5No12hnyS8EWTaz9u37uQYgyVTgD9B366OO0

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/opinion/03iht-edsokol.html

The Marshall Court...

Marbury Vs. Madison:
1. What was this case about?

2. What was decided?

3. Why is this considered a landmark case (why is it still considered very important)?

McCulloch v. Maryland:

1. What was this case about?

2. What was decided?

3. Why is this considered a landmark case (why is it still considered very important)?

Homework for 9-24-09...

Your homework is two fold:

1. Define each of the following terms.
2. Use each of the following in a sentence.

Court System
Trial Courts
Plaintiff
Defendant
Criminal Trial
Civil Trail
Adversarial System
Inquisitional System
Rules of Evidence
Jury Trial
Bench Trial
Voir Dire
Removal for Cause
Peremptory challenges
Appeals Courts
Error of law
Precedent
Appellate Court
Dissenting Opinion
Concurring Opinion
Federal Courts
State Courts
U.S. District Courts
U.S. Circuit Courts
Family Courts
Traffic Courts
Criminal Courts
Probate Courts
Small Claims court
Juvenile Court

Corporate Personhood...

Here is an interesting editorial on the New York Times website...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/opinion/22tue1.html?hpw

1. What is "corporate personhood"? Why was it created? What are some of the potential problems with it?

2. What is the name of the case before the Supreme Court that will address the question of corporate personhood?

3. Can you find out more information about this case in any other news article online?

4. What is an editorial?

Supreme Court Asked to Weigh Redskins Case...

Native American activists are trying to get the Supreme Court involved in its long-running dispute with the Washington Redskins about whether the team's name is so offensive that it does not deserve trademark protection. Read the article here...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091500973.html?hpid=topnews

1. What are some of the rights and legal principals that might be involved in this case?

2. What courts are mentioned in the article and what is their role or postion in the hierachy of courts in the United States?

3. What do you think about the issue of Native Americans being used as sports teams mascots?

Link to Constitution review website...

Here is the link to the Constitution review website...

http://www.swic.edu/adultbasiced/constitution/

Sonia Sotomayor becomes the first Latino Supreme Court Justice...

The appointment and confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was historic as she is the first Latino to serve on the court. During her confirmation hearings, a number of political commentators and legal experts describe her as the most qualified candidate for the position in over 50 years, because of her extensive legal experience.

You can find more information about her on this biography page at the White House website...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Background-on-Judge-Sonia-Sotomayor/

Do you think Sotomayor is well qualified for the position? Base your answers on what you read in her biography.

What potentially controversial issues were raised during her confirmation?

Answer on your own blogs.