Directions
:
The purpose of this exercise is for you to become familiar with the working of the federal courts, in
this case the U.S. Supreme Court. It is an Article III (of the U.S. Constitution) study to
ol. Please follow these
instructions carefully.
1.
Visit the United States Supreme Court website at
www.supremecourtus.gov
2.
Select a current Supreme Court Justice.
3.
Research the life and some of the significant
cases for which this justice has prepared the Court’s written
opinion.
4.
Prepare a research paper that addresses the following issues:
a.
A brief (two paragraph) biography of the subject.
b.
What is the justice’s ideological orientation: liberal, conservative
, strict constructionist, etc.
c.
Discuss two to three significant opinions that this justice has drafted
–
either as majority
opinions, concurring opinions, or dissenting opinions. Your discussion should include the
justice’s decision in the case, the Cour
t’s decision, the justice’s reasoning, and its effect on
American jurisprudence.
d.
If you were the justice, would you have come to the same conclusion? Was this holding “good
law?” Why??
Address these issues in a paper of four (4) to five (5) pages in le
ngth. The paper should be typed, double
–
spaced,
1” margins, with a font size no larger than 12 point, nor smaller the 10 point.
Undertake as much outside
research as necessary to adequately answer the questions
