Agenda for the day
1. Activator- personal experience? VMI Supreme Court Case
2. Overview of structure of Judicial Branch and key vocabulary
3. One-pager over Marbury vs. Madison
• Have you had a personal experience with the court system?
• What is the overall goal of the Judicial System?
• A primary purpose of the U.S. Court system is to ensure justice. Do
you think it does that?
United States v. Virginia, 1996
Democratic equality means all people are entitled to the same rights
before the law. Yet governments often make distinctions among
groups of people, such as providing medical benefits only for military
veterans. Does a state college’s policy of admitting only men violate
the constitutional rights of women? A case involving the all-male
Virginia Military Institute dealt with this issue.
How is the Judicial Branch structured?
Key Vocabulary
• Jurisdiction:
• Precedent:
• Judicial review
• Due process clause
Jurisdiction: the authority to hear certain
cases.
Federal Courts
Federal laws
Examples include
Treaties with foreign nations
Interpretations of the Constitution
Bankruptcy
Maritime law
Citizens who are residents of
different states
State courts
• State laws
• *in some cases there is
concurrent jurisdiction
Due Process Clause
• 14th Amendment
• No state may deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without
the due process of law.
Importance of Supreme Court Case Marbury
v. Madison
Hi I’m President John
Adams and my term
is about to
expire…we must
keep power as a
party
Hi I’m Congress, we
just passed a bill
allowing you
commission
(appoint) 42 justices
of the peace in the
District of Columbia
O.K here are my
nominees!
O.k. we approve!
Hi, I’m the secretary of state!
I delivered all but 4
commissions….ut oh…
Hi, I’m Thomas Jefferson
and I was just elected
President of the United
States.
I will stop the delivery of
commissions!!!
Hey I didn’t get my
commission!!! I will take
you to court.
I win my case, BUT
the Chief Justice
John Marshall said
that the Court
could not issue a
writ to force
delivery of the
commissions.
Judicial review- The Judicial Branch has the
power to review acts of Congress.
• Precedent- a ruling to be followed in the future.
• Example: “separate but equal” deemed constitutional but later
overturned.
Time to review!
What precedent did the court case Marbury v.
Madison set?
Judicial review-the power of the Supreme Court
to declare certain actions of the local, state, and
national government unconstitutional
The Supreme Court has the power
to declare laws of the states,
local, and national governments
unconstitutional
Precedent
Judicial review
Due process
clause
jurisdiction
A ruling to be followed in future
cases
Precedent
Judicial review
Due process
clause
jurisdiction
The authority to hear a case
Precedent
Judicial review
Due process
clause
jurisdiction
Under the 14th amendment,
No state may deprive any person
of life, liberty, or property without
the due process of law.
Precedent
Judicial review
Due process
clause
jurisdiction