Judicial Branch DBQ
Doc A
• Author: US Supreme Court (Marshall)
• Place and Time: US, 1803
• Prior Knowledge: John Adams gave jobs to his
friends a few days before leaving office,
Jefferson was getting ready to take office and
didn’t like the appointments, political parties
begin playing a role,
Doc A
• Reason: Make Jefferson mad, party politics,
government becomes inefficient (divided), limits
Jefferson power as President
• Main Idea: Jefferson refused to commission a
justice of the peace
• Significance: Established JUDICIAL REVIEW, made
the judicial branch STRONG, they now could rule
laws unconstitutional
Doc B
• Author: Unknown
• Place and Time: Unknown
• Prior Knowledge: Identify the branches and
know their roles, the Constitution is the rule
book for our government, all branches are
equal in power, checks and balances,
separation of powers
Doc B
• Reason: advantage to the legislative branch,
executive branch feels overmatched, equal
checks and balances???
• Main Idea: Checks and balances not
occurring, one branch too powerful, US
Constitution should decide
• Significance: Not an example of separation of
powers, US Constitution the “supreme law of
the land”, judicial branch has final say
Doc C
• Author: US Supreme Court (Marshall)
• Place and Time: US, 1819
• Prior Knowledge: national government can’t
be taxed by the states, national bank is
constitutional, expands the power of the
federal government at the expense of the
states
Doc C
• Reason: shows the power of the national
government, another example of judicial
review
• Main Idea: expanded the power of the
national government, states losing power,
Congress has implied powers (elastic clause)
• Significance: Congress can pass laws and do
things that are not necessarily in the
Constitution, reading between the lines
Doc D
• Author: US Supreme Court (Warren)
• Place and Time: US, 1954
• Prior Knowledge: Separate-but-equal was
ruled constitutional (Plessy v Ferguson, 1896),
this decision led to the civil rights movement,
some states refused to follow this ruling
Doc D
• Reason: Declares segregation unconstitutional,
power of the Supreme Court
• Main Idea: Society was changing, people were
realizing that the old ways were holding back the
country as a whole
• Significance: Led to civil rights movement,
increased freedoms for many Americans,
Supreme Court reflecting what society was
demanding
Doc E
• Author: US Supreme Court (Blackmun)
• Place and Time: US, 1973
• Prior Knowledge: Deals with abortion, state of
Texas said you could not choose to have one,
Bill of Rights protects many individual
freedoms
Doc E
• Reason: US Supreme Court involved in an issue of
growing debate, (pro-choice vs pro-life), Court
has the final say
• Main Idea: ruled that no state could deny
women the right to choose to have an abortion
• Significance: Protection of Constitutional
freedoms and liberties
Doc F
• Author: US Supreme Court (Burger)
• Place and Time: US, 1974
• Prior Knowledge: Watergate scandal, Nixon
resigns from office due to taping his
conversations and refusing to turn over tapes,
people began to fear the government
(Vietnam, Pentagon Papers)
Doc F
• Reason: Executive privilege is not above the
Constitution, Judicial Branch has power over
the President
• Main Idea: Checks and balances, no one is
above the law
• Significance: Shows that the power of the
President is limited by the Supreme Court,
limits the power of the President