Congress for Kids: [Judicial Branch]: The Supreme Court Justices

Judicial Branch

Introduction Supreme Court The Justices Dealing with Segregation

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With Supreme Court Justice David Souter retirement, President Barack Obama faces one of the most important decisions of his tenure. Who do you think the next Supreme Court Justice should be?

Can Congress impeach a Supreme Court Justice?

Why is the current court made up entirely of former federal appeals court judges?

Why is it important for a president to know how his choice will rule on the Supreme Court?

Supreme Court Justice Game

The Supreme Court Justices

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It has a chief justice, or head judge, and eight associate justices. The justices are appointed by the president and approved by a vote of the Senate. The justices serve for life unless they choose to retire. Their job is to interpret laws passed by Congress.

Since our government was established, more than one hundred justices have served on the Court, and until recently, all were men. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman named to the Supreme Court. She was appointed in 1981. Known as a swing vote through much of her Supreme Court service, Sandra Day O'Connor retired January 31, 2006. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was seated in 1993 as the second woman.

In the next activity, put the words in order to form a sentence.

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Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American Supreme Court justice? He was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman Supreme Court justice. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Projects You Can Do

Develop a job description for a Supreme Court justice and compare your idea of what makes up a qualified justice with the current members of the Supreme Court. Then create a final job description for a Supreme Court justice.

This activity is in two parts. First, review a Supreme Court justice's stand on issues pending or decided by the Supreme Court. Surmise the justice's ideology and determine his or her place on an ideology continuum line. In the second part, review upcoming cases for the 2009-10 Supreme Court session. Cases from other years can be used also.

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