1. The Wal-Mart case, Betty Dukes v Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was said to be the largest sex discrimination class action case in U.S. history. The case was filed by Betty Dukes and several others in the company. It was brought to the court and the hearing began in 2001. It was about a group of over 1.5 million female workers who believed that they had been treated unfairly by being paid less than to the men who worked there. They were also not promoted and not given the same opportunities to climb the ladder in the company. In 2011, the Supreme court stopped the case because it failed to meet the “commonality” requirement under Rule 23, meaning that, the women couldn’t use as one big group because they didn’t all had the exact or same story or experience.The court declared that there wasn’t enough proof that discrimination came from one single policy at the top of the company, so the case had to be broken into smaller, separate lawsuits instead.

1. The court system is better suited to protect the individual than the elected branches of government because the court system acts as a guardian to the individual where it protects important rights like free speech, freedom of religion and the right to have fair trials. For example, if the government says only normal children can go to school, the court can say, “That’s not fair. Every child has the right to go to school.” Sometimes the elected branches like the Mayor make unfair decisions. The court can put a stop to that and say it is not allowed. Judges are not supposed to take sides and as such they protect people even if they are not popular. The Courts ensure that these groups of elected people follow the law. One example, is the Brown v Board of Education, showed how the Supreme Court supported the people by ending racial segregation in public schools.

2. I believe to some extent, the Supreme Court is anti-democratic mainly because the court allows for the judges to be appointed and not elected. The people don’t get to vote for the judges and they stay in office for life unless they retire or have done something wrong. They can stop laws that most people want, even if the law is popular. These unelected judges are allowed overrule laws passed by elected officials. If judges are elected they may probably operate like politicians, trying to win votes. Appointed judges help to keep the court neutral and honest. Appointments are usually based on their skills, experience and qualifications which voters really don’t know much about. In relation to Federalist #10, Madison thought that the government should be run by qualified and skilful people not by majority, so when it came to judges, the Constitution said that they should be appointed and not elected. Therefore, only the skilled people got the job.

1. The “War on Terror” was a global war on terrorism. Patricia describes the war as a new war because was different from the traditional wars. In the traditional wars, one country fight against another but in the “War on Terror” , the U.S. is fighting terrorists groups not a country, for example, groups like al-Qaeda or the Taliban. After the attack, the government increased spying, airport checks and arrests, especially targeting the Muslim or Arab. Williams believed this turned everyday people into suspects just because of their looks or origin. In the traditional wars, fighting happens far away but in War on Terror, it happens in the cities, creating fear. People were treated like they were in a war zone.

2. The “Roving Wiretaps” allowed the government to target certain individuals through surveillance without the need for a specific phone number or device. It means that the surveillance can follow even if the individual changes a phone. This seems to violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects the people from unreasonable searches and seizures. The law must have a good cause, a warrant and a specific place, person or thing to search. Innocent people may be traced and conversations may be recorded if he or she is using someone else’s phone thus violating people’s privacy.

3. The “Sneek and “Peek warrant also falls under the Fourth Amendment. This is an act where the law enters people’s homes or properties without notices or permission. It allows them to take pictures and other information without the person’s knowledge of it. I believe, people should have the right to know when their properties are being searched but because of delay of notices the people’s rights to feel secure in their homes are violated.

1. The “Establishment Clause” is part of the First Amendment, which is broken down into two parts. Both parts speak about religious freedom where the government cannot favor one religion over another or promote religious activities. In other words, the government needs to be neutral in any matter of such terms. In order to decide whether a particular practice in religion should stand, a three part Lemon Test was established in 1971 by Lemon v. Kurtzman to find out if the law violates the Establishment Clause. The test entailed: 1. It must have a non-religious purpose 2. Religious practices should be neutral and 3. There should be no compromise concerning religion. One example mentioned in the reading is since transportation and school books have nothing to do with religion, it may be useless paying for them to avoid entanglement.

2. Yes, burning the U.S. flag is protected by the first amendment as a form of symbolic speech. In 1984, according to the reading, the flag was burned by Gregory Lee Johnson during a protest and in the court case led by Texas v. Johnson, the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is symbolic speech. The law cannot prohibit such an act as it was unconstitutional.

3. When someone says, “I’m taking the Fifth” they are referring to the Fifth Amendment which gives them the right not to speak against themselves. They could refuse to answer a question in the legal setting because it could be used against them in a criminal case.

1. All citizens play an important role in voting for leaders to represent them and their ideas. In the Federal system, the power is divided as national and state where the citizens are allowed to participate and air their voices. Whereas, in a confederation, a huge majority of powers rest within the state and in a unitary system all power lies within the national government.

2. According to the readings, division of power is divided into two groups, Federalism and the States and Federal Government. Federalism comprises the central government and the state governments. One is the government at the national level and the other is at the sub national level. The central government is divided into three branches, namely, Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Each branch is responsible to handle different aspects of the country’s laws.

3.Almost every person’s life is impacted by a government system. The federal government helps the state and local government by providing financial fundings called grants, for healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services. For example, allocating funds for the making of roadways and other infrastructure. Federal grants are a key component of every state’s budget. Research shows that Medicaid dominates with 68.8% of federal grants in 2024, followed by income security 11.3%, transportation 7.6% and education 5%. “The Critical Role of Federation Partnerships with States and Local Governments During Covid-19” States that, the federal government provided an estimated $335 billion in funds to agencies for assisting states and localities in response to Covid-19. In addition, $721 billion in grants were awarded, outside of response, to state and local governments for a wide range of activities.

1. Faction reminds me of social class conflicts, the wealthy, the group that cares only about themselves, and the working class.

2. According to Madison, the source of wealth refers to the different abilities of people to acquire private property. Some work harder, some are more skilled, some take more risks and because of that some people have more wealth than others.

3. I do not agree with the explanation of wealth and poverty because the differences lead to conflicts, division and the formation of factions.

4. What Madison is saying is that people have different talents and skills and because of that some will earn more than some and therefore some will be wealthier than others. The core mission was to protect the people’s rights to own their own properties. Yes, it is somewhat surprising. Today, many people believe that the government should do more than just protect property. The government should focus on the people’s well being.

5. In a pure democracy, everyone votes directly on laws where the majority always wins. Madison was worried that if most people agreed upon something, they could take away the rights of smaller or weaker groups. He believed Republicans would better protect the rights of the people.

1. From my understanding, both authors say that the rich, property-owning men wrote the Constitution. These were men who were owners of land, ran businesses, held government positions or were lawyers or slaver owners. In the readings they are called the economic elites, who were determined to protect their wealth and social positions. The people that were not allowed to take part were the working class and the poor, like small farmers, workers and those who didn’t own land or property, enslaved people,Native American who were not seen as a part of the political system and women who were not allowed to vote. For example, Parenti explains, that the wealthy men who wrote the Constitution were worried that poor people might try to change the rules to help themselves, like cancelling debts.
2. Today we still have upper, middle and lower classes of people living in the U.S. Even though the wealthy people still hold most of the power, and the economic system remains a big issue with equality, today more people on the other hand, have rights and opportunities. Only white and male property owners had rights, today women, black immigrants and other groups have the legal right to vote.
3. Those who wrote the Constitution were mainly the upper class and they were afraid that they would lose a lot if the poor people gained power through a true democracy. They believed if the workers and debtors voted they would pass laws to cancel debts and therefore take their wealth. They limited voting to keep the elites in power and to protect their property.

1. One statistic that leaves the biggest impression is ” The top 1% of the population owns more wealthy than the bottom 90% combined.” This means just a tiny group of very rich people have more than almost everyone else put together. That shows a huge gap! Most of the people are working hard and still struggling, while a few at the top have way more than they needed. The reason why is because, the economy is set up in a way that helps the rich stay rich. Big businesses and wealthy people get tax breaks and other benefits that working people don’t get. Many people who work full time jobs still cannot make ends meet.While the rich can afford the best education, healthcare, etc., the working class often times struggle to get by.

2. Wealthy people get better education, jobs, etc., poor families can’t compete and therefore go through a cycle of poverty. The rich use their money to influence people of high status, the working class voices are sometimes never heard. People in high ranks often favor the wealthy not the majority. Huge gaps between rich and poor can cause conflicts, frustration and anger which can lead to crime or violence.

Yes, we see the effects of wealth Inequality all around us today. One example is where rent is rising higher and faster than most people’s income and as such working families can’t afford safe housing.

According to the reading, M-C-M’ is a formula used to help us understand how capitalism works.

M= Money (initial capital)

C= Commodity (goods or labor)

M’ = More Money ( money gained after selling the commodity, M + surplus)

A capitalist starts with money (M) and uses it to buy commodities (C), which can be raw materials, machinery or labor power. He then uses the commodities to produce goods or services, which are sold for more money (M’) than originally invested. This “more money” is the surplus value, the profit. The surplus value comes from nowhere but the labor.

What makes the capitalists even more wealthy is the fact that they do not just sell goods but to turn money into more money and this process is repeated to accumulate more and more money. They also pay workers less than the value they produce called exploitation thus having an increase in wealth. It’s an endless cycle.