The Supreme Court,
Federalism and the
Reagan Presidency, and
the Federal Government’s
Role in Today’s Economy
In what three ways has the
United States Supreme
Court played a key role in
recent decades?
• Defining a constitutional
right to privacy
• Affirming equal rights
• Upholding the rule of law
What did all Supreme Court
justices have in common
until 1967?
• They were all white males.
Who was the first AfricanAmerican to serve on the
Supreme Court?
• Thurgood Marshall
Who was the first woman
to serve on the
Supreme Court?
• Sandra Day O’Connor
Who was the second
African-American to serve
on the Supreme Court?
• Clarence Thomas
Who was the second
woman to serve on the
Supreme Court?
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
How have Supreme Court
decisions affected
individual rights since the
1954 Brown decision?
• They have expanded
individual rights.
What mid-twentieth
century movement served
as a model for other
groups to work for civil
rights and equal justice?
• The Civil Rights
movement
How have the federal
courts protected
employment opportunities
for American women?
• 1964 Civil Rights Act
• Equal Protection Clause
of the 14th Amendment
How did the Supreme Court
rule in Reed v. Reed?
• Said an Idaho law that gave
preference to men over women
was unconstitutional, because
it violated the Equal Protection
Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment
What legal precedent did
Reed v. Reed set?
• Set precedent that the
Supreme Court could use
the Equal Protection
Clause to protect the rights
of American women under
certain circumstances
How did the Supreme Court
rule in Texas v. Johnson?
• Ruled in favor of a Texas
man who was arrested for
burning an American flag
as a political protest
According to the Supreme
Court in Texas v. Johnson,
what constitutional
amendment protects an
American’s right to burn the
American flag?
• The First Amendment right
to free expression
How did the Supreme Court
respond to congressional
passage of the Flag
Protection Act of 1989?
• Reaffirmed the Johnson
decision’s protection of an
individual’s First
Amendment right to free
expression
How did the Supreme Court
rule in
United States v. Eichman?
• Declared the Flag Protection
Act unconstitutional,
because it violated the First
Amendment
What is the Supreme Court’s
most famous right to privacy
decision?
• Roe v. Wade
How did the Supreme Court
rule in Roe v. Wade?
• Declared that women have
the right to obtain an
abortion during the first
three months of pregnancy
What was the constitutional
basis of the Roe v. Wade
decision?
• State criminal abortion laws
violated the Due Process
th
Clause of the 14
Amendment
According to Roe v. Wade,
th
what does the 14
Amendment’s Due Process
Clause protect?
• Protects the right to privacy
against state action
• Thereby protects a woman’s
right to end her pregnancy
What constitutional principles
has the Supreme Court
protected by using the power
of judicial review to overturn
actions by government
officials?
• Separation of powers
• Checks and balances
system
What were the facts of United
States v. Nixon?
• President Nixon had secretly
tape-recorded all
conversations in the Oval
Office.
• The Senate committee
investigating Watergate
asked for these tapes.
• President Nixon refused to
release the tapes.
What principle did President
Nixon claim in United States
v. Nixon?
• Nixon claimed executive
privilege gave him the right
to keep his records private.
How did the Supreme Court
rule in United States v.
Nixon?
• Unanimously ruled that
executive privilege did not
apply in the Nixon case
• President Nixon must
release the complete
Watergate tapes
What effect did the Supreme
Court’s ruling in United
States v. Nixon have on
Nixon’s presidency?
• Nixon resigned as president
the next month.
What is federalism?
• Power sharing between the
federal government and the
states
Explain how federalism
works.
• Federal government holds
some powers
• State governments hold
other powers
• Some powers are shared by
the federal government and
the states
What was Ronald Reagan’s
political party?
• Republican
What have some observers
called the two terms of the
Reagan presidency?
• The “Reagan Revolution”
What was Ronald Reagan’s
political philosophy?
• Conservative
• Opposed the expansion of
federal power at the expense
of the states
What type of re-evaluation
resulted from the
conservative political
philosophy of President
Reagan?
• Re-evaluation of the size
and role of government in
the American economy and
American society
What four actions did the
“Reagan Revolution”
advocate or call for?
• Tax cuts
• Transfer of responsibilities from
the federal government to state
governments
• Appointment of federal judges and
Supreme Court justices who
exercised “judicial restraint”
• Reduction in the number and
scope of government programs
and regulations
What was President Reagan’s
hope?
• Reduce the size and power
of the federal government
• Turn over federal
government decisions to
either state governments or
individual citizens
What was Reagan’s belief
regarding national defense?
• National defense was a key
function of the federal
government
How did Reagan’s political
philosophy influence his
position on military
spending?
• Reagan wanted to
strengthen the American
military.
According to the 2008 VUS
Curriculum Framework, what
four facts support the idea
that the “Reagan Revolution”
lasted longer than Reagan’s
presidency?
• Election of Reagan’s vice president
George H. W. Bush as president in
1988
• Election to the presidency of a
centrist Democrat William (Bill)
Clinton in 1992 and 1996
• Republican sweep of
congressional elections and
statehouses in the 1990s
• The election of George W. Bush as
president in 2000 and 2004
What are four economic
indicators, which the federal
government uses to make
decisions on economic
policy?
• Gross Domestic Policy
(GDP)
• Exchange rates
• Inflation
• Unemployment rates
Define GDP.
• The market value of the
goods and services
produced by a country
What are exchange rates?
• The value of the American
dollar relative to other world
currencies
What determines the value of
the American dollar on the
international currency
market?
• The dollar’s value floats on
the international currency
market according to the
principle of supply and
demand.
What two types of policy does
the federal government use to
promote a healthy economy?
• Monetary policy
• Fiscal policy
What is America’s central
bank?
• The Federal Reserve
Who controls monetary
policy?
• The Federal Reserve
What is monetary policy?
• Federal Reserve actions to
influence the availability of
money and credit for
individuals and business
groups
What action does the Federal
Reserve take if it believes the
American economy is
slowing down?
• Cuts interest rates
What is inflation?
• When prices increase and
the dollar buys less
What action does the Federal
Reserve take if it believes the
American economy is
overheating and thereby causing
inflation?
• Raises interest rates
Who controls fiscal policy?
• The President and
Congress
What is fiscal policy?
• Federal government taxing
and spending actions which
influence consumer demand
and business activity
Under fiscal policy, what
actions may Congress and
the President take if the
economy is slowing down?
• Cut taxes
• Increase federal spending
Under fiscal policy, what actions
may Congress and the President
take if they believe the economy
is overheating and thereby
causing inflation?
• Increase taxes
• Cut federal spending