Contents
- 1 Lesson 10.1 – The Court System
- 2 READ – Reading 10.1 – “The Dual Court System”
- 3 READ – Reading 10.2 – “The Federal Court System”
- 4 READ – Exercise 10.2 – “Federal Courts and the Public”
- 5 READ – Reading 10.3 – “The Supreme Court”
- 6 REVIEW – Key Terms from this chapter
- 7 COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 10.3
- 8 Study Question – To be handed in class
Lesson 10.1 – The Court System
In this lesson, you will learn the basic ideas and parts of the US court system.
READ – Reading 10.1 – “The Dual Court System”
Read the following textbook excerpt, which presents the dual court system, and explain how the different court systems interact with various legal issues.
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/13-2-the-dual-court-system
READ – Reading 10.2 – “The Federal Court System”
This reading describes the differences between the various federal courts: district, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/13-3-the-federal-court-system
READ – Exercise 10.2 – “Federal Courts and the Public”
Read through the following passage, which outlines the different way the federal courts affect the lives of Americans:
https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/federal-courts-public
READ – Reading 10.3 – “The Supreme Court”
This reading analyzes the structure and important features of the Supreme Court, as well as explain how the Court selects cases.
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/13-4-the-supreme-court
REVIEW – Key Terms from this chapter
Read through these key terms connected to our study of the court system. Some of them might appear on our next exam, as short-answer definitions:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/13-key-terms
COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 10.3
Complete questions 1-22 to review key ideas from this topic:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/13-review-questions
You can check your answers here:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/chapter-13#fs-id1163756284095-solution
Study Question – To be handed in class
DUE DATE: Monday, 10/7
- Think about how federal judges get to become judges – unlike Presidents, Mayors and members of Congress (and other legislatures), they are not elected, but rather appointed. Many Americans have thus called the federal courts system, and especially the Supreme Court, anti-democratic places in our government. Do you agree that the Supreme Court, for example, is an anti-democratic part of our government? What could be the reason for this way of choosing judges in federal courts? (HINT: think about our discussion of “Federalist #10”, and which social class plays a leading role in our government system.)
